---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: in the air, there your root remains…"
description: "\"in the air, there your root remains, there, in the air\" — Paul Celan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/paul-celan-10412_air_in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there_2207237.jpg"
---

#  in the air, there your root remains, there, in the air

![“in the air, there your root remains, there, in the air” quote by Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/paul-celan-10412_air_in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there_2207237.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/paul-celan-10412_air_in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there_2207237.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/paul-celan-10412_air_in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there_2207237.jpg)

> “in the air, there your root remains, there, in the air”

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

## About This Quote

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

The poem evokes a lingering presence, suggesting that one’s essence remains suspended in the atmosphere.

**In simple terms:** Essence lingers in the air.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the enduring impact of one’s roots.

Themes

poetry existence memory spirituality identity

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- memorial services
- artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

essence air root metaphor

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “root remains in the air” mean to you?
- How does this image affect your sense of belonging?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations may vary widely.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Air Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-root-4873773/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remains/) [Remains Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remains-air-1564570/) [Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root/) [Root Remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-remains-4873774/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/)

## Related quotes

> [How we express ourselves in worship remains up in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/how-we-express-ourselves-in-worship-remains-up-in-the-air/)

[Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/)

> [Perhaps every moment of time lived in human consciousness remains in the air around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/perhaps-every-moment-of-time-lived-in-human-consciousness-remains-in/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

> [God the Father's a deep root; the Son's the shoot that breaks into the world; the Spirit spreads the beauty &amp; fragrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/god-the-father-s-a-deep-root-the-son-s-the-shoot-that-breaks-into-the/)

[Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/)

> [Pchem is the root of all evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pchem-is-the-root-of-all-evil/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You were the leaves, basking in the sunlight. I was the root, growing in the darkness ~Danzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masashi-kishimoto/you-were-the-leaves-basking-in-the-sunlight-i-was-the-root-growing-in/)

[Masashi Kishimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masashi-kishimoto/)

> [Money the root of all evil, unless used for good purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/money-the-root-of-all-evil-unless-used-for-good-purpose/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [Industry is the root of all ugliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/industry-is-the-root-of-all-ugliness/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The root of the word education is e-ducere, literally, to lead forth, or to bring out something which is potentially present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-root-of-the-word-education-is-e-ducere-literally-to-lead-forth-or/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/my-mother-is-my-root-my-foundation-she-planted-the-seed-that-i-base/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [The root of suffering is attachment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-root-of-suffering-is-attachment/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [Money is the root of all good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/money-is-the-root-of-all-good/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Ignore and ignorance share the same root.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-erskine/ignore-and-ignorance-share-the-same-root/)

[Kathryn Erskine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-erskine/)

> [There is a barbarism in the American soul, and we must protect some of it by law. To root it out is to endanger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/there-is-a-barbarism-in-the-american-soul-and-we-must-protect-some-of/)

[Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/)

> [No American worth his salt should go around looking for a root. I advance this in all modesty, as a not unreasonable opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/no-american-worth-his-salt-should-go-around-looking-for-a-root-i/)

[Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/)

> [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/)

[Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/)

## More by Paul Celan

> [“Autumn eats its leaf out of my hand: we are friends. From the nuts we shell time and we teach it to walk: then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/autumn-eats-its-leaf-out-of-my-hand-we-are-friends-from-the-nuts-we/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [Tall poplars--human beings of this earth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/tall-poplars-human-beings-of-this-earth/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [Death is a master from Germany.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/death-is-a-master-from-germany/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [“spills of mire I swallowed inside the tower”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/spills-of-mire-i-swallowed-inside-the-tower/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [We are told that when Hölderlin went 'mad,' he constantly repeated, 'Nothing is happening to me, nothing is happening to me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/we-are-told-that-when-h-lderlin-went-mad-he-constantly-repeated/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [He speaks truly who speaks the shade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/he-speaks-truly-who-speaks-the-shade/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [“Your hair waves once more when I weep. With the blue of your eyes you lay the table of love: a bed between summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/your-hair-waves-once-more-when-i-weep-with-the-blue-of-your-eyes-you/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [They've healed me to pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/they-ve-healed-me-to-pieces/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [Poetry is perhaps this: an Atemwende, a turning of our breath. Who knows, perhaps poetry goes its way—the way of art—for the sake of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/poetry-is-perhaps-this-an-atemwende-a-turning-of-our-breath-who-knows/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [There was earth inside them, and they dug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/there-was-earth-inside-them-and-they-dug/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [Read! Read all the time, the understanding will come by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/read-read-all-the-time-the-understanding-will-come-by-itself/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [“Schwerer werden. Leichter sein.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/schwerer-werden-leichter-sein/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [“Autunm eats its leaf out of my hand: we are friends. From the nuts we shell time and we teach it to walk: then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/autunm-eats-its-leaf-out-of-my-hand-we-are-friends-from-the-nuts-we/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [Reality is not simply there, it must be searched and won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/reality-is-not-simply-there-it-must-be-searched-and-won/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

> [Don't sign your name between worlds, surmount the manifold of meanings, trust the tearstain, learn to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/don-t-sign-your-name-between-worlds-surmount-the-manifold-of-meanings/)

[Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

[Explore all 61 Paul Celan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/)

## More Air quotes

> [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/)

[Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/)

> [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/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

[Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "in the air, there your root remains, there, in the air",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Celan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there-in-the-air/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there-in-the-air/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/paul-celan-10412_air_in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there_2207237.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/paul-celan-10412_air_in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there_2207237.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c1/paul-celan-10412_air_in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there_2207237.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“in the air, there your root remains, there, in the air” — Paul Celan",
                "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": "Paul Celan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "in the air, there your root...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there-in-the-air/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/in-the-air-there-your-root-remains-there-in-the-air/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
