--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fan was spinning and as the shadows…" description: "\"“The fan was spinning and as the shadows passed over the white ceiling I let my eyes unfocus until all of it looked like a universe being born or a pla..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/paul-neilan-18889_elizabeth-taylor_the-fan-was-spinning-and-as-the-shadows_2856929.jpg" --- # The fan was spinning and as the shadows passed over the… ![“The fan was spinning and as the shadows passed over the white ceiling I let my eyes unfocus until all of it looked like a universe being born or a planet unraveling, some creation or catastrophe depending on which way gravity was going and where you were standing. So instead of Elizabeth Taylor I…” quote by Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/paul-neilan-18889_elizabeth-taylor_the-fan-was-spinning-and-as-the-shadows_2856929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/paul-neilan-18889_elizabeth-taylor_the-fan-was-spinning-and-as-the-shadows_2856929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/paul-neilan-18889_elizabeth-taylor_the-fan-was-spinning-and-as-the-shadows_2856929.jpg) > ““The fan was spinning and as the shadows passed over the white ceiling I let my eyes unfocus until all of it looked like a universe being born or a planet unraveling, some creation or catastrophe depending on which way gravity was going and where you were standing. So instead of Elizabeth Taylor I thought about stars and how little I knew about them, and how if I was an explorer and I had to sail a boat across the ocean without rador or an electronic compass I’d be screwed because the only constellations I knew were the Big Dipper and Little Dipper and I always got them confused. And even though I knew I’d never have to sail that boat I still wished I knew more about stars and other things. And I wished I could remember lying in the back yard as a kid with my hands locked behind my head, looking up at the night sky and dreaming. But I couldn’t, because it wasn’t something I ever did. It would have been a nice memory though”” [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on childhood wonder about stars, feeling regret for missed learning and longing for imaginative memories. **In simple terms:** Missing childhood curiosity about stars leads to regret. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity early. Themes nostalgia exploration learning Mood melancholic hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - stargazing as a child - seeking knowledge in adulthood Key Concepts wonder memory formation Questions to Reflect On - What childhood wonder have you neglected? - How can you rekindle curiosity now? A Different Perspective Regret stems from unpursued interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constellations Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constellations-knew-3834145/) [Elizabeth taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth-taylor/) [Knew Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-stars-2274495/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Night sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-sky/) [Stars Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-things-3834144/) [Taylor Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taylor-thought-3292191/) [Thought Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-stars-2618797/) ## Related quotes > [We knew about black holes in other ways, and we knew about neutron stars - well, those are the two things that ultimately got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/we-knew-about-black-holes-in-other-ways-and-we-knew-about-neutron/) [Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/) > [“Michelle toyed with her ponytail, wrapping it around her neck in what Taylor thought was a compulsive gesture. “That’s right. We play at Richland.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/michelle-toyed-with-her-ponytail-wrapping-it-around-her-neck-in-what/) [J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/) > [“He started crying again. “Who did this, Lieutenant? I love my wife. We got along, had a beautiful little girl, a son on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/he-started-crying-again-who-did-this-lieutenant-i-love-my-wife-we-got/) [J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/) > [“The morning sky is a thought of the stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/the-morning-sky-is-a-thought-of-the-stars/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) > [“I always thought of the stars like a handful of gems that God randomly tossed across the sky, saying, 'Here, go wherever you please.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-vanderbeek/i-always-thought-of-the-stars-like-a-handful-of-gems-that-god/) [Chelsea Vanderbeek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-vanderbeek/) > [“I’d thought he was stars and then I’d thought he was a fox. I had thought I’d been alone, but I hadn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-kephart/i-d-thought-he-was-stars-and-then-i-d-thought-he-was-a-fox-i-had/) [Beth Kephart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-kephart/) > [Pray but one prayer for me 'twixt thy closed lips, Think but one thought of me up in the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/pray-but-one-prayer-for-me-twixt-thy-closed-lips-think-but-one/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [“I did it because I think it’s time you finally knew that the stars were always for you. Always. Only. Ever. For you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-dodd/i-did-it-because-i-think-it-s-time-you-finally-knew-that-the-stars/) [Jillian Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-dodd/) > [I knew the stars, the flowers, and the birds, The gray and wintry sides of many glens, And did but half remember human words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-millington-synge/i-knew-the-stars-the-flowers-and-the-birds-the-gray-and-wintry-sides/) [John Millington Synge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-millington-synge/) > [Cammie: I never knew there were this many stars. Zach: I can't see them. I just see you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/cammie-i-never-knew-there-were-this-many-stars-zach-i-can-t-see-them/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [“Did you know that shooting stars are made when stars die?' Mina asked. 'Really? I thought they were stars going on a trip.' 'No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/did-you-know-that-shooting-stars-are-made-when-stars-die-mina-asked/) [Yōko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [I never knew there were this many stars." "I can't see them," he told me. "I just see you." "That's one of your cheesier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/i-never-knew-there-were-this-many-stars-i-can-t-see-them-he-told-me-i/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [“When I was little, I thought the stars were holes that God had cut into the sky so that the sun could shine through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selana-kitt/when-i-was-little-i-thought-the-stars-were-holes-that-god-had-cut/) [Selana Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selana-kitt/) > [“This was a danger beyond humanity, one that had existed since long before humans even knew what the stars were.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lebbon/this-was-a-danger-beyond-humanity-one-that-had-existed-since-long/) [Tim Lebbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lebbon/) > [“She felt as if she knew the stars, and had been among them, or would be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/she-felt-as-if-she-knew-the-stars-and-had-been-among-them-or-would-be/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) ## More by Paul Neilan > [“It takes more than one kick in the pants to reverse a lifetime of unplanned apathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-takes-more-than-one-kick-in-the-pants-to-reverse-a-lifetime-of/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [I hate bananas. I just hate them. But I also think a banana suit is the funniest fruit costume a person can wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/i-hate-bananas-i-just-hate-them-but-i-also-think-a-banana-suit-is-the/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“It was nice of her to want to believe the best about me. People tend to do that with the strangers they're fucking. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-was-nice-of-her-to-want-to-believe-the-best-about-me-people-tend/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [Cowardice, when done correctly, can be its own kind of bravery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/cowardice-when-done-correctly-can-be-its-own-kind-of-bravery/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [If Tolstoy were alive today and working at Panopticon Insurance, he'd say that all insurance companies are the same, then throw himself through an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/if-tolstoy-were-alive-today-and-working-at-panopticon-insurance-he-d/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [Anybody can make something up and have it sound believable. The hard part is remembering all the lies you've told, and all the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/anybody-can-make-something-up-and-have-it-sound-believable-the-hard/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Sitting on my stool I thought of a bumper sticker: "If Mean People Suck, Why Isn't My Dick In Your Mouth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/sitting-on-my-stool-i-thought-of-a-bumper-sticker-if-mean-people-suck/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [There comes a time in every man's life when he wakes up drunk on the toilet and begins to doubt the choices he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/there-comes-a-time-in-every-man-s-life-when-he-wakes-up-drunk-on-the/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Buy it for anyone you know who cries in the shower, who drinks in the morning, whose life only has meaning when they’re asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/buy-it-for-anyone-you-know-who-cries-in-the-shower-who-drinks-in-the/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Buy it for the lady who’s about to become your mother-in-law, the one who’s already trying to control your life and the lives of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/buy-it-for-the-lady-who-s-about-to-become-your-mother-in-law-the-one/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Sometimes the questions are more important than the answers, especially when you do not know what the answers are. I didn't give a shit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/sometimes-the-questions-are-more-important-than-the-answers/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Two wrongs don't make a right but sometimes they make me laugh. I am a vengeful god.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/two-wrongs-don-t-make-a-right-but-sometimes-they-make-me-laugh-i-am-a/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [at first I thought you were just using me" she said "I definitely am." I just wasn't sure for what. "Asshole!" she said, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/at-first-i-thought-you-were-just-using-me-she-said-i-definitely-am-i/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [It’s like someone who prays every night saying God’s a good listener. Just because you’re talking to us doesn’t mean we’re listening. With me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-s-like-someone-who-prays-every-night-saying-god-s-a-good-listener/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [Mockery when done without prejudice or discretion, can be a form of respect. It's the closest we'll ever come to true equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/mockery-when-done-without-prejudice-or-discretion-can-be-a-form-of/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) [Explore all 34 Paul Neilan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) ## More Elizabeth taylor quotes > [To me, true style icons have been few and far between. Elizabeth Taylor comes to mind. I never got to meet her while she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/to-me-true-style-icons-have-been-few-and-far-between-elizabeth-taylor/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) > [Elizabeth Taylor is gorgeous, beautiful, and she still is today, I'm crazy about her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/elizabeth-taylor-is-gorgeous-beautiful-and-she-still-is-today-i-m/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [It wouldn't be bad to look like a cross between Rita Hayworth and Elizabeth Taylor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-bleeth/it-wouldn-t-be-bad-to-look-like-a-cross-between-rita-hayworth-and/) [Yasmine Bleeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-bleeth/) > [I'm absolutely an Elizabeth Taylor fan!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-m-absolutely-an-elizabeth-taylor-fan/) [Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/) > [When Ava Gardner get in a taxi, the driver knows at once she’s Ava Gardner. It’s the same for Lana Turner or Elizabeth Taylor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-kelly/when-ava-gardner-get-in-a-taxi-the-driver-knows-at-once-she-s-ava/) [Grace Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-kelly/) > [Fame and stardom sat very easily on Elizabeth Taylor's shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-annis/fame-and-stardom-sat-very-easily-on-elizabeth-taylor-s-shoulders/) [Francesca Annis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-annis/) > [My idol when I was a kid was Elizabeth Taylor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/my-idol-when-i-was-a-kid-was-elizabeth-taylor/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [Elizabeth Taylor was never told what to wear or paid to carry a certain handbag,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-guinness/elizabeth-taylor-was-never-told-what-to-wear-or-paid-to-carry-a/) [Daphne Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-guinness/) > [We can't all have faces like Elizabeth Taylor or Angelina Jolie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/we-can-t-all-have-faces-like-elizabeth-taylor-or-angelina-jolie/) [Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/) > [Elizabeth Taylor is not beautiful, she is pretty—I was beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/elizabeth-taylor-is-not-beautiful-she-is-pretty-i-was-beautiful/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [You can't write about an iconic Hollywood star of the sixties without bumping up against Elizabeth Taylor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/you-can-t-write-about-an-iconic-hollywood-star-of-the-sixties-without/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) > [Having served in eleven Parliaments, it would be difficult to describe this as a maiden speech. It would be like Elizabeth Taylor appearing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/having-served-in-eleven-parliaments-it-would-be-difficult-to-describe/) [Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/) > [I like people who are powerful, confident, and fearless. Balmain is about an attitude. I think if Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor were alive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/i-like-people-who-are-powerful-confident-and-fearless-balmain-is/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [The classic hat image was during the Forties and Fifties, and Elizabeth Taylor was the epitome of that; she was the ultimate celebrity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/the-classic-hat-image-was-during-the-forties-and-fifties-and/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [I've had the honor and the pleasure and gift of having known Elizabeth Taylor for a number of years. You know, you sit down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/i-ve-had-the-honor-and-the-pleasure-and-gift-of-having-known/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) [Browse all 100 Elizabeth taylor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth-taylor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The fan was spinning and as the shadows passed over the white ceiling I let my eyes unfocus until all of it looked like a universe being born or a planet unraveling, some creation or catastrophe depending on which way gravity was going and where you were standing. So instead of Elizabeth Taylor I thought about stars and how little I knew about them, and how if I was an explorer and I had to sail a boat across the ocean without rador or an electronic compass I’d be screwed because the only constellations I knew were the Big Dipper and Little Dipper and I always got them confused. And even though I knew I’d never have to sail that boat I still wished I knew more about stars and other things. And I wished I could remember lying in the back yard as a kid with my hands locked behind my head, looking up at the night sky and dreaming. But I couldn’t, because it wasn’t something I ever did. 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