--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On his best walks, he was able to feel…" description: "\"“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to be nowhere. New York was the nowher..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/paul-auster-351_mind_on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-th_8025.jpg" --- # On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was… ![“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to be nowhere. New York was the nowhere he had built around himself, and he realized that he has no intention of ever leaving it again.” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/paul-auster-351_mind_on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-th_8025.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/paul-auster-351_mind_on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-th_8025.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62d/paul-auster-351_mind_on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-th_8025.jpg) > ““On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to be nowhere. New York was the nowhere he had built around himself, and he realized that he has no intention of ever leaving it again.”” [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker seeks a sense of emptiness and detachment, finding it in the urban landscape that becomes a personal sanctuary of non‑place. **In simple terms:** Finding peace in feeling unanchored. Key Takeaway Embrace the freedom of being 'nowhere'. Themes existentialism urban alienation self‑identity place attachment freedom Mood contemplative melancholic liberated Type philosophical literary personal When to use this quote - wandering city streets - contemplating personal space - escaping expectations Key Concepts nowhere New York inner peace Practical Applications - creative writing inspiration - urban design philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What does 'nowhere' mean to you? - How can a city become a personal refuge? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-walks-336186/) [Built Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-realized-336187/) [Feel Finally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-finally-336185/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized/) ## Related quotes > [The guilt you feel finally comes to an end when you fully express how it came into your consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-garner/the-guilt-you-feel-finally-comes-to-an-end-when-you-fully-express-how/) [Luke Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-garner/) > [“I am not all right. 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