--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They watched the flying foxes wheel above…" description: "\"“They watched the flying foxes wheel above them, like shadows of thoughts, things so indistinct they would not exist without two witnesses.”\" — Peter C..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/peter-carey-4293_witnesses_they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-abov_1392042.png" --- # They watched the flying foxes wheel above them, like… ![“They watched the flying foxes wheel above them, like shadows of thoughts, things so indistinct they would not exist without two witnesses.” quote by Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/peter-carey-4293_witnesses_they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-abov_1392042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/peter-carey-4293_witnesses_they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-abov_1392042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/peter-carey-4293_witnesses_they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-abov_1392042.png) > ““They watched the flying foxes wheel above them, like shadows of thoughts, things so indistinct they would not exist without two witnesses.”” [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The description uses flying foxes as a metaphor for fleeting thoughts that only exist when observed by at least two witnesses, emphasizing the fragility of ideas. **In simple terms:** Ideas are fragile and need witnesses to exist. Key Takeaway Value shared perspectives to give ideas life. Themes creativity perception ephemerality observation Mood reflective poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative brainstorming - literary analysis - philosophical discussion Key Concepts existentialism metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you preserve fleeting thoughts? - Who are your intellectual witnesses? A Different Perspective Ideas may fade without documentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exist Witnesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-witnesses-4854246/) [Flying Foxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying-foxes-4854244/) [Foxes Wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes-wheel-4854247/) [Watched Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watched-flying-4854245/) [Witnesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witnesses/) ## Related quotes > [Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/discovering-witnesses-is-just-as-important-as-catching-criminals/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [Let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone. Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon. Show me slowly what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-peyroux/let-me-see-your-beauty-when-the-witnesses-are-gone-let-me-feel-you/) [Madeleine Peyroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-peyroux/) > [We the Christians may not save the souls of unbelievers because only Jesus Christ does that but we are the bridge by which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kang/we-the-christians-may-not-save-the-souls-of-unbelievers-because-only/) [Albert Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kang/) > [The great number of the Jews furnishes us with a sufficient cloud of witnesses that attest the truth of the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-great-number-of-the-jews-furnishes-us-with-a-sufficient-cloud-of/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“It's going down, and it's going down right the fuck now. I don’t care if there is a room full of witnesses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-sivec/it-s-going-down-and-it-s-going-down-right-the-fuck-now-i-don-t-care/) [Tara Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-sivec/) > [I cannot but be astonished that Sarsi should persist in trying to prove by means of witnesses something that I may see for myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-cannot-but-be-astonished-that-sarsi-should-persist-in-trying-to/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [The New Testament witnesses were fully aware of the background against which the resurrection took place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/the-new-testament-witnesses-were-fully-aware-of-the-background/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [“It is often much harder to get rid of books than to acquire them. They stick to us in that pact of need and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/it-is-often-much-harder-to-get-rid-of-books-than-to-acquire-them-they/) [Carlos María Domínguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/) > [We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-were-called-to-be-witnesses-not-lawyers-or-judges/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...the Lord is eager to communicate with us through the manifestations and promptings of the Holy Ghost. And the cumulative effect of repeated witnesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-dew/the-lord-is-eager-to-communicate-with-us-through-the-manifestations/) [Sheri Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-dew/) > [“We therefore need to be patient with ourselves, and look upon our sense of guilt as Witnesses!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-m-wanderer/we-therefore-need-to-be-patient-with-ourselves-and-look-upon-our/) [Frank M. Wanderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-m-wanderer/) > [Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses like Halloween? Because they cant handle the competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-don-t-jehovah-s-witnesses-like-halloween-because-they-cant-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's this great fear, and I find, lack of knowledge of Catholicism, just like I'm ignorant of other things. I think we should all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-hicks/there-s-this-great-fear-and-i-find-lack-of-knowledge-of-catholicism/) [Catherine Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-hicks/) > [“The black officer checks Daddy while his partner glances around at all of the onlookers. There's quite a few of us now. Ms. Yvette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-black-officer-checks-daddy-while-his-partner-glances-around-at/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“Both incest and the Holocaust have been subject to furious denial by perpetrators and other individuals and by highly organised groups such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-walker/both-incest-and-the-holocaust-have-been-subject-to-furious-denial-by/) [Janet Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-walker/) ## More by Peter Carey > [“I have traveled widely. I have seen this country in its infancy. I tell you what it will become. The public squares will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-have-traveled-widely-i-have-seen-this-country-in-its-infancy-i-tell/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [At the very end of a book I can manage to work for longer stretches, but mostly, making stuff up for three hours, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/at-the-very-end-of-a-book-i-can-manage-to-work-for-longer-stretches/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [Being famous as a writer is like being famous in a village. It's not really any very heady fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/being-famous-as-a-writer-is-like-being-famous-in-a-village-it-s-not/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [It's not like I've got 100 ideas. I finish a book, and I've got none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/it-s-not-like-i-ve-got-100-ideas-i-finish-a-book-and-i-ve-got-none/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Remember, this is the country of the duck-billed platypus. When you are cut off from the rest of the world, things are bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/remember-this-is-the-country-of-the-duck-billed-platypus-when-you-are/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [Australia is my lens. I cannot see the world any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/australia-is-my-lens-i-cannot-see-the-world-any-other-way/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [If you ever read one of my books I hope you'll think it looks so easy. In fact, I wrote those chapters 20 times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/if-you-ever-read-one-of-my-books-i-hope-you-ll-think-it-looks-so-easy/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I had known loneliness before, and emptiness upon the moor, but I had never been a NOTHING, a nothing floating on a nothing, known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-had-known-loneliness-before-and-emptiness-upon-the-moor-but-i-had/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I did not know that history is like a blood stain that keeps on showing on the wall no matter how many new owners…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-did-not-know-that-history-is-like-a-blood-stain-that-keeps-on/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I think that thing about the destruction of the world is there all the time, it's there every day when we look out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-think-that-thing-about-the-destruction-of-the-world-is-there-all/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Your American, you wouldn't know if you were up yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/your-american-you-wouldn-t-know-if-you-were-up-yourself/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“He were still smiling but his voice were hard as a spoon rattling in a metal cup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/he-were-still-smiling-but-his-voice-were-hard-as-a-spoon-rattling-in/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“Would you rather have the lords and nobles back? What is Democracy for? Not so we can rob each other. Or cheat.' I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/would-you-rather-have-the-lords-and-nobles-back-what-is-democracy-for/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“7. Some Theories that Arose at the Time 1. The world is merely a dream dreamt by god who is waking after a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/7-some-theories-that-arose-at-the-time-1-the-world-is-merely-a-dream/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [I'm always the one with the activist friends. I've been an activist very little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/i-m-always-the-one-with-the-activist-friends-i-ve-been-an-activist/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) [Explore all 113 Peter Carey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) ## More Witnesses quotes > [Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/discovering-witnesses-is-just-as-important-as-catching-criminals/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [“The black officer checks Daddy while his partner glances around at all of the onlookers. There's quite a few of us now. Ms. Yvette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-black-officer-checks-daddy-while-his-partner-glances-around-at/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [There's this great fear, and I find, lack of knowledge of Catholicism, just like I'm ignorant of other things. I think we should all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-hicks/there-s-this-great-fear-and-i-find-lack-of-knowledge-of-catholicism/) [Catherine Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-hicks/) > [Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses like Halloween? Because they cant handle the competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-don-t-jehovah-s-witnesses-like-halloween-because-they-cant-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We therefore need to be patient with ourselves, and look upon our sense of guilt as Witnesses!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-m-wanderer/we-therefore-need-to-be-patient-with-ourselves-and-look-upon-our/) [Frank M. Wanderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-m-wanderer/) > [“...the Lord is eager to communicate with us through the manifestations and promptings of the Holy Ghost. And the cumulative effect of repeated witnesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-dew/the-lord-is-eager-to-communicate-with-us-through-the-manifestations/) [Sheri Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-dew/) > [We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-were-called-to-be-witnesses-not-lawyers-or-judges/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is often much harder to get rid of books than to acquire them. They stick to us in that pact of need and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/it-is-often-much-harder-to-get-rid-of-books-than-to-acquire-them-they/) [Carlos María Domínguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mar-a-dom-nguez/) > [The New Testament witnesses were fully aware of the background against which the resurrection took place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdowell/the-new-testament-witnesses-were-fully-aware-of-the-background/) [Josh McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdowell/) > [I cannot but be astonished that Sarsi should persist in trying to prove by means of witnesses something that I may see for myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-cannot-but-be-astonished-that-sarsi-should-persist-in-trying-to/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“It's going down, and it's going down right the fuck now. I don’t care if there is a room full of witnesses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-sivec/it-s-going-down-and-it-s-going-down-right-the-fuck-now-i-don-t-care/) [Tara Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-sivec/) > [The great number of the Jews furnishes us with a sufficient cloud of witnesses that attest the truth of the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/the-great-number-of-the-jews-furnishes-us-with-a-sufficient-cloud-of/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [We the Christians may not save the souls of unbelievers because only Jesus Christ does that but we are the bridge by which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kang/we-the-christians-may-not-save-the-souls-of-unbelievers-because-only/) [Albert Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kang/) > [Let me see your beauty when the witnesses are gone. Let me feel you moving like they do in Babylon. Show me slowly what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-peyroux/let-me-see-your-beauty-when-the-witnesses-are-gone-let-me-feel-you/) [Madeleine Peyroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-peyroux/) > [“Both incest and the Holocaust have been subject to furious denial by perpetrators and other individuals and by highly organised groups such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-walker/both-incest-and-the-holocaust-have-been-subject-to-furious-denial-by/) [Janet Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-walker/) [Browse all 147 Witnesses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witnesses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They watched the flying foxes wheel above them, like shadows of thoughts, things so indistinct they would not exist without two witnesses.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Carey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-above-them-like-shadows-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Witnesses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-above-them-like-shadows-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/peter-carey-4293_witnesses_they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-abov_1392042.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/peter-carey-4293_witnesses_they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-abov_1392042.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/peter-carey-4293_witnesses_they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-abov_1392042.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They watched the flying foxes wheel above them, like shadows of thoughts, things so indistinct they would…” — Peter Carey", "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": "Peter Carey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They watched the flying foxes wheel...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-above-them-like-shadows-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/they-watched-the-flying-foxes-wheel-above-them-like-shadows-of/#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 } } ] } ```