--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no wider gulf in the universe…" description: "\"There is no wider gulf in the universe than yawns between those on the hither and thither side of vital experience.\" — Rebecca West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/rebecca-west-1248_experience_there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-t_731520.jpg" --- # There is no wider gulf in the universe than yawns between… ![“There is no wider gulf in the universe than yawns between those on the hither and thither side of vital experience.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/rebecca-west-1248_experience_there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-t_731520.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/rebecca-west-1248_experience_there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-t_731520.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/rebecca-west-1248_experience_there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-t_731520.jpg) > “There is no wider gulf in the universe than yawns between those on the hither and thither side of vital experience.” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The greatest distance between people is the lack of shared, vital experiences. **In simple terms:** Lack of shared experience creates a deep divide. Key Takeaway Seek common experiences to bridge gaps. Themes connection empathy experience division Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - team building - family gatherings - cross‑cultural events - shared projects Key Concepts existential social philosophical Questions to Reflect On - How can we create deeper shared moments? - What experiences foster genuine empathy? A Different Perspective Even shared experiences can be superficial, not truly uniting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [My cinema is an extension of myself. A sort of life-testimony of my vital experience, with my few virtues and my numerous limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-cinema-is-an-extension-of-myself-a-sort-of-life-testimony-of-my/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“This bed yawns beneath the weight of our absent selves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/this-bed-yawns-beneath-the-weight-of-our-absent-selves/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“A blanket could be used to suppress yawns. Just curl up in the technological wonder that is a blanket, lay your head back, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-to-suppress-yawns-just-curl-up-in-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The honeymoon is not actually over until we cease to stifle our sighs and begin to stifle our yawns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/the-honeymoon-is-not-actually-over-until-we-cease-to-stifle-our-sighs/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [I have pleasures, and passions, but the joy of life is gone. I am going under: the morgue yawns for me. I go and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-have-pleasures-and-passions-but-the-joy-of-life-is-gone-i-am-going/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Work!" she scoffed. "Oh, you sad bird! You bluffer! Work—that means a great arranging of the desk and the lights, a great sharpening of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/work-she-scoffed-oh-you-sad-bird-you-bluffer-work-that-means-a-great/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The grand canyon which yawns between the writer's concept of what he wants to capture in words and what comes through is a cruel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/the-grand-canyon-which-yawns-between-the-writer-s-concept-of-what-he/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) > [It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in. One yawns, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-an-undoubted-truth-that-the-less-one-has-to-do-the-less-time/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“I own a few yawns that I rent out to people who are tired of the sleazy snooze salesman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-own-a-few-yawns-that-i-rent-out-to-people-who-are-tired-of-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“What time is it?" Brad stretches, arms still around my waist; and yawns, his breath is blowing in my face. I grimace. He really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-emery/what-time-is-it-brad-stretches-arms-still-around-my-waist-and-yawns/) JC Emery > [“He does not listen for an answer, but yawns, his face opening lewdly upon regions compared with which nudity becomes a milliner's invention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/he-does-not-listen-for-an-answer-but-yawns-his-face-opening-lewdly/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [He is an old bore. Even the grave yawns for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-beerbohm-tree/he-is-an-old-bore-even-the-grave-yawns-for-him/) [Herbert Beerbohm Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-beerbohm-tree/) > [“She yawns for men and not with her mouth. She weeps for men and not with her eyes. She drinks men down, she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keneally/she-yawns-for-men-and-not-with-her-mouth-she-weeps-for-men-and-not/) [Thomas Keneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keneally/) > [Leave your yawns behind you and feel the tiny new breeze of life lighting up inside of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-porchon-lynch/leave-your-yawns-behind-you-and-feel-the-tiny-new-breeze-of-life/) [Tao Porchon-Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-porchon-lynch/) > [Arise from sleep, old cat, And with great yawns and stretchings... Amble out for love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/arise-from-sleep-old-cat-and-with-great-yawns-and-stretchings-amble/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Experience quotes > [Experience makes a lesson to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experience-makes-a-lesson-to-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [From my experience of having served for 3000 days, I can say that anything can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/from-my-experience-of-having-served-for-3000-days-i-can-say-that/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [Education is a lifelong experience. Experience is a lifelong education. Education plus experience equals expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bugeja/education-is-a-lifelong-experience-experience-is-a-lifelong-education/) Michael Bugeja > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [Experience is a thorough teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jane-holmes/experience-is-a-thorough-teacher/) [Mary Jane Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jane-holmes/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I've had a great experience with pretty much everybody I've worked with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-ve-had-a-great-experience-with-pretty-much-everybody-i-ve-worked/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [It wasn't a mistake, it was a fun learning experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-wasn-t-a-mistake-it-was-a-fun-learning-experience/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) [Browse all 11,792 Experience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no wider gulf in the universe than yawns between those on the hither and thither side of vital experience.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-than-yawns-between-those-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Experience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-than-yawns-between-those-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/rebecca-west-1248_experience_there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-t_731520.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/rebecca-west-1248_experience_there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-t_731520.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/241/rebecca-west-1248_experience_there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-t_731520.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no wider gulf in the universe than yawns between those on the hither and thither side of vital…” — Rebecca West", "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": "Rebecca West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no wider gulf in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-than-yawns-between-those-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-no-wider-gulf-in-the-universe-than-yawns-between-those-on/#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 } } ] } ```