--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There’s not a stone or leaf or life that…" description: "\"“There’s not a stone or leaf or life that men won’t put a name to. It gives them a nice safe box to collect things in. They get in the habit of collect..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/parke-godwin-26325_life_there-s-not-a-stone-or-leaf-or-life-that_1867337.jpg" --- # There’s not a stone or leaf or life that men won’t put a… ![“There’s not a stone or leaf or life that men won’t put a name to. It gives them a nice safe box to collect things in. They get in the habit of collecting things and end up surprised at the weight they’re carrying. A dream they thought might fit someday, something bright and sweet like a woman…” quote by Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/parke-godwin-26325_life_there-s-not-a-stone-or-leaf-or-life-that_1867337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/parke-godwin-26325_life_there-s-not-a-stone-or-leaf-or-life-that_1867337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/parke-godwin-26325_life_there-s-not-a-stone-or-leaf-or-life-that_1867337.jpg) > ““There’s not a stone or leaf or life that men won’t put a name to. It gives them a nice safe box to collect things in. They get in the habit of collecting things and end up surprised at the weight they’re carrying. A dream they thought might fit someday, something bright and sweet like a woman, picked up for her shine and somehow never left or at least never forgotten. Or an ambition! There’s a fine item in any man’s bag. A great, glowing ambition. They never fade, never wear even when you’ve outgrown them. Always there to look at and remember and play might-have-been.”” [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People label everything, creating mental boxes that accumulate hopes, ambitions, and memories, which can become burdensome if not examined. **In simple terms:** Naming things creates mental baggage. Key Takeaway Recognize and release unneeded mental baggage. Themes identity memory burden ambition reflection Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal growth - relationship counseling - career planning - creative writing Key Concepts psychology symbolism attachment Questions to Reflect On - What mental boxes are you carrying? - How can you let go of outdated ambitions? A Different Perspective Labels can limit perception and trap us in past expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Only the possibility of carrying out a dream makes our life worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/only-the-possibility-of-carrying-out-a-dream-makes-our-life-worth/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Three men in ten conserve life; three men in ten pursue death. Three men also in ten desire to live, but there acts hasten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu-2/three-men-in-ten-conserve-life-three-men-in-ten-pursue-death-three/) [Lao-Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu-2/) > [From the first moment of life, men ought to begin learning to deserve to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-rousseau/from-the-first-moment-of-life-men-ought-to-begin-learning-to-deserve/) [Henri Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-rousseau/) > [In those days, when I was a little kid, I met the truer more authentic people of my life. The men were so pure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianni-versace/in-those-days-when-i-was-a-little-kid-i-met-the-truer-more-authentic/) [Gianni Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianni-versace/) > [Who knows but life be that which men call death, And death what men call life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/who-knows-but-life-be-that-which-men-call-death-and-death-what-men/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-of-the-great-tragedies-of-life-is-that-men-seldom-bridge-the-gulf/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Man must become comfortable in flowing from one role to another, one set of values to another, one life to another. Men must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-rhinehart/man-must-become-comfortable-in-flowing-from-one-role-to-another-one/) [Luke Rhinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-rhinehart/) > [Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/ships-at-a-distance-have-every-man-s-wish-on-board-for-some-they-come-3/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [We often love to think now of the life of men on beaches,--at least in midsummer, when the weather is serene; their sunny lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-often-love-to-think-now-of-the-life-of-men-on-beaches-at-least-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A Life in Men is a joyful, ambitious novel that is also an adventure traversing three continents, as well as a meditation on love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/a-life-in-men-is-a-joyful-ambitious-novel-that-is-also-an-adventure/) [Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/) > [When men are prosperous, they are in love with life. Nature grows beautiful, the arts begin to flourish, there is work for painter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-men-are-prosperous-they-are-in-love-with-life-nature-grows/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“You see football isn’t just about 90 minutes, it‘s about passion and, yes, if you like, about life. We men will do things under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dougie-brimson/you-see-football-isn-t-just-about-90-minutes-it-s-about-passion-and/) [Dougie Brimson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dougie-brimson/) > [Unless God's Word illumine the way, the whole life of men is wrapped in darkness and mist, so that they cannot but miserably stray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/unless-god-s-word-illumine-the-way-the-whole-life-of-men-is-wrapped/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“We have all met a class of men, very remarkable for their activity, and who yet make but little headway in life; men who,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/we-have-all-met-a-class-of-men-very-remarkable-for-their-activity-and/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/ships-at-a-distance-have-every-man-s-wish-on-board-for-some-they-come/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) ## More by Parke Godwin > [“I know why men lose sight of the face of God: because it is so close.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/i-know-why-men-lose-sight-of-the-face-of-god-because-it-is-so-close/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“Neither of us deserves tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/neither-of-us-deserves-tomorrow/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“You go through it like a dark room, you sweat, you fear, the fear passes, you come out of it and utter nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/you-go-through-it-like-a-dark-room-you-sweat-you-fear-the-fear-passes/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“Where do the strong go to be weak?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/where-do-the-strong-go-to-be-weak/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“And youth, though they see every day the cradle and grave shaped so alike, never believe death will happen to them. I told you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/and-youth-though-they-see-every-day-the-cradle-and-grave-shaped-so/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“A while ago in real-time you saw the eagles. And you wished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/a-while-ago-in-real-time-you-saw-the-eagles-and-you-wished/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“Between blow and pain, there is that instant of numbness, an unreal moment...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/between-blow-and-pain-there-is-that-instant-of-numbness-an-unreal/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“...for one instant, I saw the stars close enough to touch. Closer than that, part of me. Are they really so far or just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/for-one-instant-i-saw-the-stars-close-enough-to-touch-closer-than/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“Lovers have a language that can be lost--how to speak, how to touch, when to try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/lovers-have-a-language-that-can-be-lost-how-to-speak-how-to-touch/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“I am aged with a sickness of the mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/i-am-aged-with-a-sickness-of-the-mind/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“Tomorrow belongs to those who can learn. For those who can’t, there’s only yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/tomorrow-belongs-to-those-who-can-learn-for-those-who-can-t-there-s/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“I can't think of it now. It costs too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/i-can-t-think-of-it-now-it-costs-too-much/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“See that day as I remember it. A day in June, River Severn rolling to the sea, diamonded with sunlight, gulls gliding over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/see-that-day-as-i-remember-it-a-day-in-june-river-severn-rolling-to/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“The day comes when love means something beyond a reflection of ourselves, when there is more behind than ahead and the house of mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/the-day-comes-when-love-means-something-beyond-a-reflection-of/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) > [“...hear the language, this English, double-jointed as Bedivere's limbs. It only sounds awkward. In its ability to join one concept to another as with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parke-godwin/hear-the-language-this-english-double-jointed-as-bedivere-s-limbs-it/) [Parke Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) [Explore all 22 Parke Godwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parke-godwin/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There’s not a stone or leaf or life that men won’t put a name to. 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