--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It looked as though they were breathing…" description: "\"“It looked as though they were breathing to some never-ending slow, deep rhythm. They breathed and watched as the world came and went. Some stars had s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/nina-george-8478_earth_it-looked-as-though-they-were-breathing_3162325.jpg" --- # It looked as though they were breathing to some… ![“It looked as though they were breathing to some never-ending slow, deep rhythm. They breathed and watched as the world came and went. Some stars had seen the dinosaurs and the Neanderthals; they had seen the pyramids rise and Columbus discover America. For them, the earth was one more island world…” quote by Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/nina-george-8478_earth_it-looked-as-though-they-were-breathing_3162325.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/nina-george-8478_earth_it-looked-as-though-they-were-breathing_3162325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61d/nina-george-8478_earth_it-looked-as-though-they-were-breathing_3162325.jpg) > ““It looked as though they were breathing to some never-ending slow, deep rhythm. They breathed and watched as the world came and went. Some stars had seen the dinosaurs and the Neanderthals; they had seen the pyramids rise and Columbus discover America. For them, the earth was one more island world in the immeasurable ocean of outer space, its inhabitants microscopically small.”” [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on humanity's fleeting existence compared to the vast, ancient cosmos, emphasizing our smallness in time and space. **In simple terms:** Humans are tiny in the endless universe. Key Takeaway Remember our brief place in time. Themes humility cosmic perspective history Mood reflective humble Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - astronomy lectures - philosophical debates - writing inspiration - educational videos Key Concepts existentialism deep time anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing our smallness affect your priorities? - What responsibilities arise from this perspective? A Different Perspective Our impact can still be meaningful despite smallness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breathed Watched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathed-watched-5721696/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Looked Breathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked-breathing-5721695/) [Outer space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outer-space/) [Watched World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watched-world-3518374/) [World Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-came-299261/) ## Related quotes > [Right after 'Desperate' sold to China, we were the most watched show around the world at the time. That's really something great to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-huffman/right-after-desperate-sold-to-china-we-were-the-most-watched-show/) [Felicity Huffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-huffman/) > [The first time I watched a World Cup game was in 2002. 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The hours between eight in the evening and one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/for-at-eight-o-clock-the-world-came-to-an-end-it-was-reading-time-the/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-guess-i-always-felt-even-if-the-world-came-to-an-end-mcdonald-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Nina George > [“tango was not about that: it was about everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/tango-was-not-about-that-it-was-about-everything/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“We all grow old, even books. 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A book waiting to be written: as a girl,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/time-had-seemed-infinite-when-she-still-had-many-years-and-decades/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“To trust someone entirely because in love there is no other way. He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/to-trust-someone-entirely-because-in-love-there-is-no-other-way-he/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“All the love, all the dead, all the people we’ve known. They are the rivers that feed our sea of souls. If we refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/all-the-love-all-the-dead-all-the-people-we-ve-known-they-are-the/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“Loving is different from being loved. Giving and seeing how a person flourishes and feeds off your love: the amount of power you possess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/loving-is-different-from-being-loved-giving-and-seeing-how-a-person/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“Every woman is a priestess if she loves life and can work magic on herself and those who are sacred to her. It’s time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/every-woman-is-a-priestess-if-she-loves-life-and-can-work-magic-on/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“Yet sometimes it still feels as if I’m sewed up in my own skin, as if I’m living in an invisible box that keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/yet-sometimes-it-still-feels-as-if-i-m-sewed-up-in-my-own-skin-as-if/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“He calls books freedoms. And homes too. They preserve all the good words that we so seldom use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/he-calls-books-freedoms-and-homes-too-they-preserve-all-the-good/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [“Perdu saw Ida’s pain flickering in her eyes, saw that the red-haired woman was struggling to embrace a new future that felt even now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/perdu-saw-ida-s-pain-flickering-in-her-eyes-saw-that-the-red-haired/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) [Explore all 80 Nina George quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) ## More Earth quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. 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