--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What else could I be? If I were a…" description: "\"“What else could I be? If I were a mono-thinker, I probably wouldn’t be an insomniac. How is a poly-thinker supposed to fall asleep, and more important..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/rachel-cohn-1244_insomniac_what-else-could-i-be-if-i-were-a-mono-th_1193783.png" --- # What else could I be? If I were a mono-thinker, I probably… ![“What else could I be? If I were a mono-thinker, I probably wouldn’t be an insomniac. How is a poly-thinker supposed to fall asleep, and more importantly, stay asleep, when thoughts just won’t stop darting! darting! darting! through my head?” quote by Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/rachel-cohn-1244_insomniac_what-else-could-i-be-if-i-were-a-mono-th_1193783.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/rachel-cohn-1244_insomniac_what-else-could-i-be-if-i-were-a-mono-th_1193783.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/rachel-cohn-1244_insomniac_what-else-could-i-be-if-i-were-a-mono-th_1193783.png) > ““What else could I be? If I were a mono-thinker, I probably wouldn’t be an insomniac. How is a poly-thinker supposed to fall asleep, and more importantly, stay asleep, when thoughts just won’t stop darting! darting! darting! through my head?”” [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A poly‑thinker’s mind constantly jumps between ideas, making it hard to quiet the thoughts enough for sleep. **In simple terms:** Many ideas keep the mind awake Key Takeaway Practice calming techniques to settle racing thoughts Themes psychology sleep creativity Mood frustrated hopeful Type reflective advice When to use this quote - nighttime routine - meditation - journaling - therapy sessions Key Concepts mindfulness cognitive overload mental health Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help quiet a restless mind? - Can embracing poly‑thinking improve waking life? A Different Perspective Not everyone can easily quiet a busy mind; some need medication ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asleep Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asleep-thoughts-1003555/) [Insomniac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomniac/) [Insomniac Poly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomniac-poly-3553042/) [Mono Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mono-thinker-3553041/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Poly Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poly-thinker-3553040/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Thinker Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker-supposed-3553043/) ## Related quotes > [Most nights I stay up past 1 AM. I am tired and I want to sleep, but I can't because my mind runs like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-nights-i-stay-up-past-1-am-i-am-tired-and-i-want-to-sleep-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If I fell asleep, those thoughts would twist themselves into rivers of blood as real as the mud in my sheets when I first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia-and-margret-stohl/if-i-fell-asleep-those-thoughts-would-twist-themselves-into-rivers-of/) [Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia-and-margret-stohl/) > [It was a pretty complete list. The kind of list one makes when one cannot fall asleep because one's thoughts keep swirling through one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/it-was-a-pretty-complete-list-the-kind-of-list-one-makes-when-one/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“Boy needs to get a good night's sleep. Otherwise, he'll be lucky to get accepted at SUNY-So Far Upstate You Might As Well Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/boy-needs-to-get-a-good-night-s-sleep-otherwise-he-ll-be-lucky-to-get/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“to be a Muslim is to be an insomniac.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haroon-moghul/to-be-a-muslim-is-to-be-an-insomniac/) [Haroon Moghul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haroon-moghul/) > [It is not the slumber of reason that engenders monsters, but vigilant and insomniac rationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/it-is-not-the-slumber-of-reason-that-engenders-monsters-but-vigilant/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [Cause I feel like such an insomniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owl-city/cause-i-feel-like-such-an-insomniac/) [Owl City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owl-city/) > [What is that one crucifixion compared to the daily kind any insomniac endures?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-that-one-crucifixion-compared-to-the-daily-kind-any-insomniac/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So when it's back this insomniac take an original tack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faithless/so-when-it-s-back-this-insomniac-take-an-original-tack/) [Faithless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faithless/) > [Insomniac is an impassioned work-an inspired amalgam of academic and first-hand research, memoir, analysis, and the kind of obsessive brooding we associate with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/insomniac-is-an-impassioned-work-an-inspired-amalgam-of-academic-and/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I am an insomniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-an-insomniac/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was quite an insomniac. I rarely slept as a child. Having God to talk to at night was nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-was-quite-an-insomniac-i-rarely-slept-as-a-child-having-god-to-talk/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I'm just an insomniac struggling for a night where I don't dream of you anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lone-alaskan-gypsy/i-m-just-an-insomniac-struggling-for-a-night-where-i-don-t-dream-of/) [Lone Alaskan Gypsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lone-alaskan-gypsy/) > [I'm kind of an insomniac and watch TV late at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-keena/i-m-kind-of-an-insomniac-and-watch-tv-late-at-night/) [Monica Keena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-keena/) > [I don't sleep much. It takes me a long time to fall asleep. I'm a bit of an insomniac but, when I fall asleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-iglesias/i-don-t-sleep-much-it-takes-me-a-long-time-to-fall-asleep-i-m-a-bit/) [Enrique Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-iglesias/) ## More by Rachel Cohn > [“You mean I'm not lazy? No bitch, I mean you intimidate guys with a look or a comment before they can even decide if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/you-mean-i-m-not-lazy-no-bitch-i-mean-you-intimidate-guys-with-a-look/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“the infinite Manhattan night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/the-infinite-manhattan-night/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [Tal told me he loved me, and told me and told me, but you don't tell someone that and then tell them they're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/tal-told-me-he-loved-me-and-told-me-and-told-me-but-you-don-t-tell/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“Someone should pay for their sins. I'll show you Awful, humans. I can't even see what I'm doing. All I know is rage, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/someone-should-pay-for-their-sins-i-ll-show-you-awful-humans-i-can-t/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [ \[S\]he leans into this guy and rocks her head like I’m making this music for her, when if I could, I would take it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/s-he-leans-into-this-guy-and-rocks-her-head-like-i-m-making-this/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“In some ways, I think I'll never be over him', Langston said. 'That is such an unsatisfied answer' 'That's because you're interpreting it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/in-some-ways-i-think-i-ll-never-be-over-him-langston-said-that-is/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“I suspected that when something was a beginning and an ending at the same time, that meant it could only exist in the present”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/i-suspected-that-when-something-was-a-beginning-and-an-ending-at-the/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“The reward is in the risk. I wanted so badly to believe, but the fear felt as great and overwhelming as the desire. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/the-reward-is-in-the-risk-i-wanted-so-badly-to-believe-but-the-fear/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [I am bigger than the box I'm in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/i-am-bigger-than-the-box-i-m-in/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [The desert adapts. The people adapt. Live. Die. Struggle. Suffer. Create. The people in the real world beyond Demesne's ring are not all manufactured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/the-desert-adapts-the-people-adapt-live-die-struggle-suffer-create/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“Well, well, well,” Santa said once the elf had retreated. “Come and sit on my lap, little boy.” This Santa’s beard was real, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/well-well-well-santa-said-once-the-elf-had-retreated-come-and-sit-on/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“Please return this notebook to where you found it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/please-return-this-notebook-to-where-you-found-it/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [This must be part of Mother Nature's master plan—making these boys so irresistibly cute, in such a naughty way, that the purity of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/this-must-be-part-of-mother-nature-s-master-plan-making-these-boys-so/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“If I’m just The Guy With Norah, that’s cool. Right now, that’s all I want to be. All the other things I am—they’re too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/if-i-m-just-the-guy-with-norah-that-s-cool-right-now-that-s-all-i/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [“Maybe, I thought, it's not distance that's the problem, but how you handle it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/maybe-i-thought-it-s-not-distance-that-s-the-problem-but-how-you/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) [Explore all 263 Rachel Cohn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) ## More Insomniac quotes > [I don't sleep much. It takes me a long time to fall asleep. I'm a bit of an insomniac but, when I fall asleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-iglesias/i-don-t-sleep-much-it-takes-me-a-long-time-to-fall-asleep-i-m-a-bit/) [Enrique Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-iglesias/) > [I'm kind of an insomniac and watch TV late at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-keena/i-m-kind-of-an-insomniac-and-watch-tv-late-at-night/) [Monica Keena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-keena/) > [“I'm just an insomniac struggling for a night where I don't dream of you anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lone-alaskan-gypsy/i-m-just-an-insomniac-struggling-for-a-night-where-i-don-t-dream-of/) [Lone Alaskan Gypsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lone-alaskan-gypsy/) > [I was quite an insomniac. I rarely slept as a child. Having God to talk to at night was nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-was-quite-an-insomniac-i-rarely-slept-as-a-child-having-god-to-talk/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I am an insomniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-an-insomniac/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Insomniac is an impassioned work-an inspired amalgam of academic and first-hand research, memoir, analysis, and the kind of obsessive brooding we associate with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/insomniac-is-an-impassioned-work-an-inspired-amalgam-of-academic-and/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [So when it's back this insomniac take an original tack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faithless/so-when-it-s-back-this-insomniac-take-an-original-tack/) [Faithless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faithless/) > [What is that one crucifixion compared to the daily kind any insomniac endures?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-that-one-crucifixion-compared-to-the-daily-kind-any-insomniac/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Cause I feel like such an insomniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owl-city/cause-i-feel-like-such-an-insomniac/) [Owl City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owl-city/) > [It is not the slumber of reason that engenders monsters, but vigilant and insomniac rationality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/it-is-not-the-slumber-of-reason-that-engenders-monsters-but-vigilant/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [“to be a Muslim is to be an insomniac.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haroon-moghul/to-be-a-muslim-is-to-be-an-insomniac/) [Haroon Moghul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haroon-moghul/) > [The last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-last-refuge-of-the-insomniac-is-a-sense-of-superiority-to-the/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Did you hear about the dyslexic, agnostic insomniac who stays up all night wondering if there really is a Dog?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/did-you-hear-about-the-dyslexic-agnostic-insomniac-who-stays-up-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm a bit of an insomniac. I'm always thinking. I've got a lot of ideas for lyrics and shows. I have a notepad by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-a-bit-of-an-insomniac-i-m-always-thinking-i-ve-got-a-lot-of-ideas/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [Oh, insomnia! Ah, well, I know a good cure for it... Get plenty of sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/oh-insomnia-ah-well-i-know-a-good-cure-for-it-get-plenty-of-sleep/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) [Browse all 60 Insomniac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insomniac/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What else could I be? If I were a mono-thinker, I probably wouldn’t be an insomniac. 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