--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It had come to me not in a sudden…" description: "\"It had come to me not in a sudden epiphany but with a gradual sureness, a sense of meaning like a sense of place. When you give yourself to places, the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/rebecca-solnit-569_association_it-had-come-to-me-not-in-a-sudden-epipha_3095395.jpg" --- # It had come to me not in a sudden epiphany but with a… ![“It had come to me not in a sudden epiphany but with a gradual sureness, a sense of meaning like a sense of place. When you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/rebecca-solnit-569_association_it-had-come-to-me-not-in-a-sudden-epipha_3095395.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/rebecca-solnit-569_association_it-had-come-to-me-not-in-a-sudden-epipha_3095395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/rebecca-solnit-569_association_it-had-come-to-me-not-in-a-sudden-epipha_3095395.jpg) > “It had come to me not in a sudden epiphany but with a gradual sureness, a sense of meaning like a sense of place. When you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will be waiting for you when you come back, while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. Exploring the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains.” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deep connection with places creates lasting memories that shape identity and thought. **In simple terms:** Places give back parts of ourselves, enriching our mind. Key Takeaway Engage deeply with environments to grow personally. Themes travel identity memory growth Mood inspired thoughtful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - relocation - vacation planning - creative writing - personal development Key Concepts place attachment psychology experience reflection Questions to Reflect On - What does a place reveal about you? - How can you integrate travel insights into daily life? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on travel may neglect local responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Association](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/association/) [Best way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-way/) [Crops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crops/) [Epiphany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epiphany/) [Epiphany Gradual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epiphany-gradual-5341262/) [Exploring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploring/) [Exploring Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploring-mind-1709899/) [Exploring the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploring-the-world/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Invisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisible/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-walking-1765060/) [New places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-places/) [New possibilities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-possibilities/) [New thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-thought/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Possibilities Exploring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibilities-exploring-4490389/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Seeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeds/) [Sense of place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-place/) [Terrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrain/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-for-you/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“When you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/when-you-give-yourself-to-places-they-give-you-yourself-back-the-more/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Suddenly I came out of my thoughts to notice everything around me again-the catkins on the willows, the lapping of the water, the leafy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/suddenly-i-came-out-of-my-thoughts-to-notice-everything-around-me/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [EXPLORING the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/exploring-the-world-is-one-of-the-best-ways-of-exploring-the-mind-and/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Pilgrimages of mind or walking meditation - bringing moments of illumination in which the sense of relationship to the rest of existence suddenly stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/pilgrimages-of-mind-or-walking-meditation-bringing-moments-of/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) > [I dont mind helping but I do mind u walking over me !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrcountry/i-dont-mind-helping-but-i-do-mind-u-walking-over-me/) [MrCountry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrcountry/) > [“I didn't mind walking into danger on my own. Not the concept of it, anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwenda-bond/i-didn-t-mind-walking-into-danger-on-my-own-not-the-concept-of-it/) [Gwenda Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwenda-bond/) > [“I told the students that they were at the age when they might begin to choose places that would sustain them the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-told-the-students-that-they-were-at-the-age-when-they-might-begin/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Sense of place is the sixth sense, an internal compass and map made by memory and spatial perception together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/sense-of-place-is-the-sixth-sense-an-internal-compass-and-map-made-by/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. 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And this I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-this-i-believe-that-the-free-exploring-mind-of-the-individual-4/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-this-i-believe-that-the-free-exploring-mind-of-the-individual-3/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. 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It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Association quotes > [If you are poor, shun association with him who measures men with the yardstick of riches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/if-you-are-poor-shun-association-with-him-who-measures-men-with-the/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [So few men are really worth knowing, that it seems a shameful waste to let an anthropoid prejudice stand in the way of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/so-few-men-are-really-worth-knowing-that-it-seems-a-shameful-waste-to/) [H. 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