--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But here at Laurelfield, there was…" description: "\"“But here at Laurelfield, there was something more in the mornings, a buzzing sensation about the whole house, as if it weren't the servants keeping it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-makkai-20617_quote_but-here-at-laurelfield-there-was-someth_1345680.jpg" --- # But here at Laurelfield, there was something more in the… ![“But here at Laurelfield, there was something more in the mornings, a buzzing sensation about the whole house, as if it weren't the servants keeping it running but some other energy. As if the house had roots and leaves and was busy photosynthesizing and sending sap up and down, and the people…” quote by Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-makkai-20617_quote_but-here-at-laurelfield-there-was-someth_1345680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-makkai-20617_quote_but-here-at-laurelfield-there-was-someth_1345680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-makkai-20617_quote_but-here-at-laurelfield-there-was-someth_1345680.jpg) > ““But here at Laurelfield, there was something more in the mornings, a buzzing sensation about the whole house, as if it weren't the servants keeping it running but some other energy. As if the house had roots and leaves and was busy photosynthesizing and sending sap up and down, and the people running through were as insignificant as burrowing beetles.”” [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The house feels alive, like a plant, with energy flowing through it, making people seem tiny and insignificant. **In simple terms:** The house seems alive, making people feel small. Key Takeaway Notice the unseen energy in places. Themes environment interconnectedness humility Mood contemplative poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - home life - workspaces - community gatherings - personal reflection Key Concepts systems thinking ecology Questions to Reflect On - How does environment shape identity? - Can we influence the house's energy? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overlook human agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [House Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-roots-4559946/) [House Weren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-weren-2267454/) [Laurelfield Mornings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laurelfield-mornings-4559943/) [Leaves Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaves-busy-4559945/) [Mornings Buzzing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mornings-buzzing-4559944/) ## Related quotes > [If you grew up in a house where you weren't loved, you didn't know there was an alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/if-you-grew-up-in-a-house-where-you-weren-t-loved-you-didn-t-know-2/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## More by Rebecca Makkai > [“These were wise, modern children, and they knew: a mother could be a witch, a child could be a criminal. 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"The only problem is, I already know how it ends," he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/he-started-number-the-stars-before-we-were-even-out-of-the-store-the/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“So here, patient listener: your soothing epilogue. Imagine him happy. Imagine him spinning in circles... Imagine his heaven, where he can float through characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/so-here-patient-listener-your-soothing-epilogue-imagine-him-happy/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“And for what portion of human history had people even had desk jobs? Maybe the last four hundred years, out of four million? It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/and-for-what-portion-of-human-history-had-people-even-had-desk-jobs/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“...all I knew were novels. It gave me pause, for a moment, that all my reference points were fiction, that all my narratives were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/all-i-knew-were-novels-it-gave-me-pause-for-a-moment-that-all-my/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“I could put a book in his hands, but I couldn't take him by the ankles and dip him headfirst in another world. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/i-could-put-a-book-in-his-hands-but-i-couldn-t-take-him-by-the-ankles/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“On my mental instant replay, I realized that obliquely comparing his family to the Nazis was maybe not my finest moment. He was quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/on-my-mental-instant-replay-i-realized-that-obliquely-comparing-his/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“The whole damn century would've made more sense backwards. Where we ended is worse than where we began.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/the-whole-damn-century-would-ve-made-more-sense-backwards-where-we/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“Very few writers thank their mothers for keen editorial insight; I'm happy to be the exception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/very-few-writers-thank-their-mothers-for-keen-editorial-insight-i-m/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“I believed that books might save him because I knew they had so far, and because I knew the people books had saved. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/i-believed-that-books-might-save-him-because-i-knew-they-had-so-far/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“Like a good American, I wanted to sue somebody. But like a good librarian, I just sat at my desk and waited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/like-a-good-american-i-wanted-to-sue-somebody-but-like-a-good/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“I no longer believe I can save people. I've tried, and I've failed, and while I'm sure there are people out there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/i-no-longer-believe-i-can-save-people-i-ve-tried-and-i-ve-failed-and/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) > [“Maybe that's why I prefer this new library to my own bedroom: looking at the million book spines, I can imagine a million alternate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-makkai/maybe-that-s-why-i-prefer-this-new-library-to-my-own-bedroom-looking/) [Rebecca Makkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) [Explore all 30 Rebecca Makkai quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-makkai/) ## More House Weren quotes > [If you grew up in a house where you weren't loved, you didn't know there was an alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/if-you-grew-up-in-a-house-where-you-weren-t-loved-you-didn-t-know-2/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) [Browse all 2 House Weren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-weren-2267454/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But here at Laurelfield, there was something more in the mornings, a buzzing sensation about the whole house, as if it weren't the servants keeping it running but some other energy. 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