--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some mornings I walked out into the…" description: "\"“Some mornings I walked out into the courtyard and every living thing there, the seagulls and wagtails, the small trees, and even the stray blades of g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/nelson-mandela-248_quote_some-mornings-i-walked-out-into-the-cour_943339.jpg" --- # Some mornings I walked out into the courtyard and every… ![“Some mornings I walked out into the courtyard and every living thing there, the seagulls and wagtails, the small trees, and even the stray blades of grass seemed to smile and shine in the sun. It was at such times, when I perceived the beauty of even this small, closed-in corner of the world, that…” quote by Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/nelson-mandela-248_quote_some-mornings-i-walked-out-into-the-cour_943339.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/nelson-mandela-248_quote_some-mornings-i-walked-out-into-the-cour_943339.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b7/nelson-mandela-248_quote_some-mornings-i-walked-out-into-the-cour_943339.jpg) > ““Some mornings I walked out into the courtyard and every living thing there, the seagulls and wagtails, the small trees, and even the stray blades of grass seemed to smile and shine in the sun. It was at such times, when I perceived the beauty of even this small, closed-in corner of the world, that I knew that some day my people and I would be free.”” [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing beauty in small, confined spaces fuels hope for larger freedom. **In simple terms:** Small beauty inspires hope for freedom. Key Takeaway Notice small joys to sustain hope. Themes hope freedom beauty resilience Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - prison life - personal reflection - activism Key Concepts perception optimism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you find beauty in constraints? - What small moments sustain your long‑term goals? A Different Perspective Freedom may remain distant despite optimism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [The officers saluted as she passed and gravely bowed. They walked back across the courtyard and got into their chairs. She saw Waddington light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-officers-saluted-as-she-passed-and-gravely-bowed-they-walked-back/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I cannot and will not give any undertaking at a time when I, and you, the people, are not free. Your freedom and mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-cannot-and-will-not-give-any-undertaking-at-a-time-when-i-and-you/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Closed. Plenty of time to see it later, remember?" He leads me into the courtyard, and I take the opportunity to admire his backside.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/closed-plenty-of-time-to-see-it-later-remember-he-leads-me-into-the/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“The mayor spread his arms. “What do you think of the place? Beautiful, am I right?” It looked to Adam like a conference room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-mayor-spread-his-arms-what-do-you-think-of-the-place-beautiful-am/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Directly across the courtyard from me lives a middle-aged woman, the ringleader of the building. Sometimes she and I open our windows simultaneously and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/directly-across-the-courtyard-from-me-lives-a-middle-aged-woman-the/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I've always loved three-sided patios. Courtyard plans are very common, but it's rare that it has one side open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-pelli/i-ve-always-loved-three-sided-patios-courtyard-plans-are-very-common/) [Cesar Pelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-pelli/) > [“As if you could pick in love, as if it were not a lightning bolt that splits your bones and leaves you staked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/as-if-you-could-pick-in-love-as-if-it-were-not-a-lightning-bolt-that-2/) [Julio Cortázar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [“I liked the shifting colors of groups on the courtyard, but could not distinguish one student from the next. They were too young and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-liked-the-shifting-colors-of-groups-on-the-courtyard-but-could-not/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [If your ceiling should fall down, then you have lost a room, but gained a courtyard. Think of it that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/if-your-ceiling-should-fall-down-then-you-have-lost-a-room-but-gained/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [“...instead I find myself more and more outside; from one courtyard I move to another courtyard, as if in this palace all the doors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/instead-i-find-myself-more-and-more-outside-from-one-courtyard-i-move/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“principal courtyard, which was very large, with walks encircling it under arcades in the old Florentine fashion, and gardens planted with magnificent trees. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/principal-courtyard-which-was-very-large-with-walks-encircling-it/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [No matter how advanced society becomes, institutionally or technologically, a house in which nature can be sensed represents for me the ideal environment in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadao-ando/no-matter-how-advanced-society-becomes-institutionally-or/) [Tadao Ando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadao-ando/) > [There's no peace like the peace of an inner courtyard on a sunny day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-s-no-peace-like-the-peace-of-an-inner-courtyard-on-a-sunny-day/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Instead of canals, a magical four-story central courtyard faces the interior walls. A greenhouse of sorts. The roof is glass and the floor is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-a-shapiro/instead-of-canals-a-magical-four-story-central-courtyard-faces-the/) [Barbara A. Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-a-shapiro/) > [“The Founder-Director purposely designed the building in a U-shape, in the interior of which is a courtyard with a central fountain, to reflect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wan-mohd-nor-wan-daud/the-founder-director-purposely-designed-the-building-in-a-u-shape-in/) [Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wan-mohd-nor-wan-daud/) ## More by Nelson Mandela > [We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-must-work-together-to-ensure-the-equitable-distribution-of-wealth/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/courageous-people-do-not-fear-forgiving-for-the-sake-of-peace/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/some-of-the-mission-groups-that-have-been-responsible-for-our/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-believed-that-i-would-become-a-counsellor-to-the-thembu-king/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [What he means by this is that instead of saying you'll "try", you need to "do". And as we let our light shine, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/what-he-means-by-this-is-that-instead-of-saying-you-ll-try-you-need/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/prison-is-a-still-point-in-a-turning-world-and-it-is-very-easy-to/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-fundamental-concern-for-others-in-our-individual-and-community/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-aware-of-what-the-position-is-in-the-united-states-of-america-if/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-our-duty-to-give-support-to-the-brother-leader-especially-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-was-during-those-long-and-lonely-years-that-my-hunger-for-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Explore all 809 Nelson Mandela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More Walked quotes > [“way to my touchline. Or whatever it is they did. We walked back”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-o-neil/way-to-my-touchline-or-whatever-it-is-they-did-we-walked-back/) J.T. O'Neil > [“Taha walked out of the main gate of the building to find there were no children playing in the street. He walked slowly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zakaria-tamer/taha-walked-out-of-the-main-gate-of-the-building-to-find-there-were/) Zakaria Tamer > [There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget why I walked in there. I'm going through some studies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-mcmahon/there-are-a-lot-of-times-when-i-walk-into-a-room-and-forget-why-i/) [Jim McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-mcmahon/) > [There's been times where I sold the place out, and I walked in and the guy's like, 'Uh, ID?' 'No, you can't ID me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannibal-buress/there-s-been-times-where-i-sold-the-place-out-and-i-walked-in-and-the/) [Hannibal Buress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannibal-buress/) > [When I walked to school in the mornings I would start out alone but would pick up four other boys along the way. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/when-i-walked-to-school-in-the-mornings-i-would-start-out-alone-but/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [So I walked away and left him standing there in the moonlight - watching over nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/so-i-walked-away-and-left-him-standing-there-in-the-moonlight/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [How far have you walked for men who've never held your feet in their laps?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warsan-shire/how-far-have-you-walked-for-men-who-ve-never-held-your-feet-in-their/) [Warsan Shire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warsan-shire/) > [I walked 10 miles in this dark road but still,i didn't still see the ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-chatto/i-walked-10-miles-in-this-dark-road-but-still-i-didn-t-still-see-the/) [Cath Chatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-chatto/) > [where the dead walked and the living were made of cardboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/where-the-dead-walked-and-the-living-were-made-of-cardboard/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-walked-a-thousand-miles-just-to-slip-this-skin/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The finest woman that ever walked the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/the-finest-woman-that-ever-walked-the-streets/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [At least he never walked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/at-least-he-never-walked/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [There are several times when I walked into a room and just felt like such a sham. That's the problem with auditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lillard/there-are-several-times-when-i-walked-into-a-room-and-just-felt-like/) [Matthew Lillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lillard/) > [I don't save people. God saves people. I can point them in the right direction. I can say, 'There's that door. I think if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-boyle/i-don-t-save-people-god-saves-people-i-can-point-them-in-the-right/) [Greg Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-boyle/) > [“Robert walked faster than usual, and I had trouble keeping up with him, but I did not hold him back. I was pleased at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-moser/robert-walked-faster-than-usual-and-i-had-trouble-keeping-up-with-him/) [Nancy Moser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-moser/) Browse all 588 Walked quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Some mornings I walked out into the courtyard and every living thing there, the seagulls and wagtails, the small trees, and even the stray blades of grass seemed to smile and shine in the sun. 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