--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we knew that tonight we were going to…" description: "\"If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a long, last real look at every blade of grass, every cloud formation, every speck of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_blades_if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to_2627432.png" --- # If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we… ![“If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a long, last real look at every blade of grass, every cloud formation, every speck of dust, every rainbow, raindrop-everything.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_blades_if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to_2627432.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_blades_if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to_2627432.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_blades_if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to_2627432.png) > “If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a long, last real look at every blade of grass, every cloud formation, every speck of dust, every rainbow, raindrop-everything.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If death were imminent, we would cherish every detail of life, appreciating its fleeting beauty. **In simple terms:** Appreciate life's details as if time were short. Key Takeaway Live fully in each moment. Themes mortality appreciation presence Mood peaceful contemplative Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - nature walks - art observation - daily gratitude Key Concepts mindfulness impermanence Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor impermanence without fear? - What simple practices heighten your awareness? A Different Perspective Focusing on details may cause anxiety about loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainbow/) [Rainbows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rainbows/) ## Related quotes > [Oh, God of Dust and Rainbows, Help us to see That without the dust the rainbow Would not be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/oh-god-of-dust-and-rainbows-help-us-to-see-that-without-the-dust-the/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [“Maybe we’ve all been blind for so long that we’ve stopped trying to see? Maybe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-cross/maybe-we-ve-all-been-blind-for-so-long-that-we-ve-stopped-trying-to/) [Ethan Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-cross/) > [“Lust leaves you blind long after you’ve lost your mind in bed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lust-leaves-you-blind-long-after-you-ve-lost-your-mind-in-bed/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I never knew before tonight what it felt like to be wanted… just me for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/i-never-knew-before-tonight-what-it-felt-like-to-be-wanted-just-me/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“Logan knew that tonight was about two things—want and possession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-frank/logan-knew-that-tonight-was-about-two-things-want-and-possession/) [Ella Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-frank/) > [“She was beautiful, that he knew, but tonight she looked exceptionally beautiful. And tonight she was his, his to enjoy, his to love, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-infante-bosco/she-was-beautiful-that-he-knew-but-tonight-she-looked-exceptionally/) [Janine Infante Bosco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-infante-bosco/) > [“ I KNEW IT WAS OVER when tonight you couldn't make the phone ring when you used to make the sun rise when trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/i-knew-it-was-over-when-tonight-you-couldn-t-make-the-phone-ring-when/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [It's said that when we die, the four elements - earth, air, fire and water - dissolve one by one, each into the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-said-that-when-we-die-the-four-elements-earth-air-fire-and-water/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. It is the ordinary state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/that-nothing-is-static-or-fixed-that-all-is-fleeting-and-impermanent-2/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. Everything is in process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/that-nothing-is-static-or-fixed-that-all-is-fleeting-and-impermanent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“On the day Contessa Carolina Fantoni was married, only one other living person knew that she was going blind, and he was not her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carey-wallace/on-the-day-contessa-carolina-fantoni-was-married-only-one-other/) [Carey Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carey-wallace/) > [When I was going blind, I didn't turn to God. It didn't seem to me then - and it doesn't seem to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-charles/when-i-was-going-blind-i-didn-t-turn-to-god-it-didn-t-seem-to-me-then/) [Ray Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-charles/) > [For a while I shall still be leaving, looking back at you as you slip away into the magic islands of the mind. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/for-a-while-i-shall-still-be-leaving-looking-back-at-you-as-you-slip/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“To what extent are we the authors, the creators of our own experiences? How much are these predetermined by the brains or senses we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/to-what-extent-are-we-the-authors-the-creators-of-our-own-experiences/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [Then, the other thing that affected my interest in choices growing up was the fact that I was going blind and that meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/then-the-other-thing-that-affected-my-interest-in-choices-growing-up/) [Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/) ## More by Pema Chodron > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Blades quotes > [A lie always needs a truth for a handle to it. 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We are like a fine blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-atchley-jr/our-past-is-the-forge-upon-which-we-are-hardened-and-tempered-to/) Larry Atchley Jr > [When a buddha is painted, not only a clay altar or lump of earth is used, but the thirty-two marks, a blade of grass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/when-a-buddha-is-painted-not-only-a-clay-altar-or-lump-of-earth-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [I felt freed to please myself, to find my way as I would, in a world that was much vaster than I had realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/i-felt-freed-to-please-myself-to-find-my-way-as-i-would-in-a-world/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [I would like to see a fierce Fantasia mixed with Blade Runner, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars all in one. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rodriguez/i-would-like-to-see-a-fierce-fantasia-mixed-with-blade-runner-lord-of/) [Michelle Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rodriguez/) > [Paper or razor blade, never give up And just remember just to hold out more A couple years ago I couldn't just control that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/paper-or-razor-blade-never-give-up-and-just-remember-just-to-hold-out/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [There are those who say that trees shade the garden too much, and interfere with the growth of the vegetables. There may be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/there-are-those-who-say-that-trees-shade-the-garden-too-much-and/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [Heavy role in the movies that I've done that I have loved and fit my soul; A Simple Plan, Monster's Ball, Sling Blade, One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/heavy-role-in-the-movies-that-i-ve-done-that-i-have-loved-and-fit-my/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [You need flawless balance on the recovery. You need white hot focus and the concentration to row square blades cleanly for seven miles. Smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/you-need-flawless-balance-on-the-recovery-you-need-white-hot-focus/) [Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/) > [If you look at 'Blade Runner,' it's been cut sixteen ways from Sunday, and there are all kinds of different versions of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/if-you-look-at-blade-runner-it-s-been-cut-sixteen-ways-from-sunday/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [Here's an example: someone says, "Master, please hand me the knife," and he hands them the knife, blade first. "Please give me the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/here-s-an-example-someone-says-master-please-hand-me-the-knife-and-he/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [It's ninety-six degrees in the shade... Before I catch blood on my blade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-murray/it-s-ninety-six-degrees-in-the-shade-before-i-catch-blood-on-my-blade/) [Keith Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-murray/) > ["Lay the knife at the tips of your fingers," Rob commanded. "So close youcan feel the blade against your skins. Then cut the shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/lay-the-knife-at-the-tips-of-your-fingers-rob-commanded-so-close/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) Browse all 490 Blades quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a long, last real look at every blade of grass, every cloud formation, every speck of dust, every rainbow, raindrop-everything.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chodron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to-go-blind-we-would-take-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blades" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to-go-blind-we-would-take-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_blades_if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to_2627432.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_blades_if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to_2627432.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/pema-ch-dr-n-327_blades_if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to_2627432.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If we knew that tonight we were going to go blind, we would take a long, last real look at every blade of…” — Pema Chodron", "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": "Pema Chodron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If we knew that tonight we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to-go-blind-we-would-take-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-knew-that-tonight-we-were-going-to-go-blind-we-would-take-a/#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 } } ] } ```