--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as I wonder whether it's going to…" description: "\"Just as I wonder whether it's going to die, the orchid blossoms and I can't explain why it moves my heart, why such pleasure comes from one small bud o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/sam-hamill-16399_april_just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-d_1690890.png" --- # Just as I wonder whether it's going to die, the orchid… ![“Just as I wonder whether it's going to die, the orchid blossoms and I can't explain why it moves my heart, why such pleasure comes from one small bud on a long spindly stem, one blood red gold flower opening at mid-summer, tiny, perfect in its hour.” quote by Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/sam-hamill-16399_april_just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-d_1690890.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/sam-hamill-16399_april_just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-d_1690890.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/sam-hamill-16399_april_just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-d_1690890.png) > “Just as I wonder whether it's going to die, the orchid blossoms and I can't explain why it moves my heart, why such pleasure comes from one small bud on a long spindly stem, one blood red gold flower opening at mid-summer, tiny, perfect in its hour.” [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A small, beautiful thing can unexpectedly stir deep emotions and wonder. **In simple terms:** Tiny beauty can move us profoundly. Key Takeaway Pay attention to small wonders that inspire. Themes beauty emotion nature wonder Mood thoughtful poetic Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - gardening - art appreciation - mindfulness - creative writing Key Concepts aesthetics epiphany transcendence Questions to Reflect On - What small detail has recently moved you? - How can you cultivate sensitivity to subtle beauty? A Different Perspective Pleasure may be fleeting and hard to articulate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [April](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/april/) [February](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/february/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Orchid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchid/) [Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Springtime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/springtime/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation. That has always been part of its charm, Laroche loved orchids, but I came to believe he loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation-that-has-always-been-part-of/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [The orchid is Mother Nature's masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn/the-orchid-is-mother-nature-s-masterpiece/) [Robyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn/) > [An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leatrice-eiseman/an-enchanting-harmony-of-fuchsia-purple-and-pink-undertones-radiant/) [Leatrice Eiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leatrice-eiseman/) > [The old orchid hunter lay back on his pillow, his body limp... 'You'll curse the insects,' he said at least, 'and you'll curse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/the-old-orchid-hunter-lay-back-on-his-pillow-his-body-limp-you-ll/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I was fat! I was pustule-rich! I looked like a pink human grenade! When did I blossom into the irresistible little orchid that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/i-was-fat-i-was-pustule-rich-i-looked-like-a-pink-human-grenade-when/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [Lord Illingworth told me this morning that there was an orchid there as beautiful as the seven deadly sins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lord-illingworth-told-me-this-morning-that-there-was-an-orchid-there/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [An orchid in a deep forest sends out its fragrance even if no one is around to appreciate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/an-orchid-in-a-deep-forest-sends-out-its-fragrance-even-if-no-one-is/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“George thrust into Alma's hand a lithograph of a spotted 'Catasetum.' The orchid had been rendered so magnificently that it seemed to grow off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/george-thrust-into-alma-s-hand-a-lithograph-of-a-spotted-catasetum/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [When I was fourteen, my father decided to initiate me into the ways of manhood, and took me to the local whorehouse. The woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/when-i-was-fourteen-my-father-decided-to-initiate-me-into-the-ways-of/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/orchid-hunting-is-a-mortal-occupation/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Love is an orchid which thrives principally on hot air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/love-is-an-orchid-which-thrives-principally-on-hot-air/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [While PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid, the captivating 2014 color of the year, encouraged creativity and innovation, Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, exuding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leatrice-eiseman/while-pantone-18-3224-radiant-orchid-the-captivating-2014-color-of/) [Leatrice Eiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leatrice-eiseman/) > [“(I have to say that everything seems to be unraveling lately. Or maybe it seems as though I am a flower myself, opening up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-have-to-say-that-everything-seems-to-be-unraveling-lately-or-maybe/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [What is the Heart? A flower opening...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/what-is-the-heart-a-flower-opening/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“But like a forest I rise, like a plateau I open, I writhe like roads and fields. I push up trees till they meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marja-liisa-vartio/but-like-a-forest-i-rise-like-a-plateau-i-open-i-writhe-like-roads/) Marja-Liisa Vartio ## More by Sam Hamill > [If only we could touch the things of this world at their center, if we could only hear tiny leaves of birch struggling toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/if-only-we-could-touch-the-things-of-this-world-at-their-center-if-we/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [I'm basically a poetry scholar, and I'm happier here in my studio with my row of Chinese dictionaries than I am, frankly, at Lincoln…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/i-m-basically-a-poetry-scholar-and-i-m-happier-here-in-my-studio-with/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [We poets don't tend to be certain a lot. Much of our art is made out of our own uncertainty. And there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/we-poets-don-t-tend-to-be-certain-a-lot-much-of-our-art-is-made-out/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [Each of us as poets, as decent suffering human beings, has to find a way to run our lives that is compassionate toward one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/each-of-us-as-poets-as-decent-suffering-human-beings-has-to-find-a/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [Korea's first Zen Master-poet wrote simple yet elegant poetry of the world he inhabited, both physically and spiritually, and of daily insights-a pause along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/korea-s-first-zen-master-poet-wrote-simple-yet-elegant-poetry-of-the/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [There's a fragment that goes, "Some say the most beautiful thing in the world is a great cavalry riding down over the hill. Others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/there-s-a-fragment-that-goes-some-say-the-most-beautiful-thing-in-the/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [I think a lot of American poets are swimming-pool Soviets. A lot of them have taken the comfortable, self-protective route too often. I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/i-think-a-lot-of-american-poets-are-swimming-pool-soviets-a-lot-of/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [Nothing will change until we demolish the "we-they" mentality. We are human, and therefore all human concerns are ours. And those concerns are personal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/nothing-will-change-until-we-demolish-the-we-they-mentality-we-are/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [I'm a poet who practices Zen. And it's not, I'm somebody who practices Zen who writes poetry. There's no separation for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/i-m-a-poet-who-practices-zen-and-it-s-not-i-m-somebody-who-practices/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [Kenneth Rexroth took me under his wing for a brief period. I was fifteen years old, and I was smoking a lot of heroin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/kenneth-rexroth-took-me-under-his-wing-for-a-brief-period-i-was/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [One of the things I love about translation is it obliterates the self. When I'm trying to figure out what Tu Fu has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-translation-is-it-obliterates-the-self/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [The oldest cliché in the world is about "what's lost in translation," but you don't very often read much intelligent about what's gained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/the-oldest-clich-in-the-world-is-about-what-s-lost-in-translation-but/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [The only thing we all agree on, virtually every poet in this country, is that this Administration is really frightening, and we want something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/the-only-thing-we-all-agree-on-virtually-every-poet-in-this-country/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [George W. Bush is using language that's a mirror image of the language of Osama bin Laden when he says, "We have God on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/george-w-bush-is-using-language-that-s-a-mirror-image-of-the-language/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [I would say that my great political awakening was really born on Okinawa, reading Albert Camus: the "Neither Victims nor Executioners" essay and The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/i-would-say-that-my-great-political-awakening-was-really-born-on/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) [Explore all 40 Sam Hamill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) ## More April quotes > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Two things you need to know about taxes. They've extended the deadline to April 18, and when you write your check, just make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/two-things-you-need-to-know-about-taxes-they-ve-extended-the-deadline/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [Why should I deem myself to be a chisel, when I could be the artist?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/why-should-i-deem-myself-to-be-a-chisel-when-i-could-be-the-artist/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [The air soft as that of Seville in April, and so fragrant that it was delicious to breathe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/the-air-soft-as-that-of-seville-in-april-and-so-fragrant-that-it-was/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [Our opponents see an America in which every day is April 15, tax day. Well, we see an America in which every day is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/our-opponents-see-an-america-in-which-every-day-is-april-15-tax-day/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/here-cometh-april-again-and-as-far-as-i-can-see-the-world-hath-more/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [It felt like 10 years, but I was actually in treatment for three-and-a-half years. I finally finished in April. Two years ago, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/it-felt-like-10-years-but-i-was-actually-in-treatment-for-three-and-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [The air is like a butterfly With frail blue wings. The happy earth looks at the sky And sings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-kilmer/the-air-is-like-a-butterfly-with-frail-blue-wings-the-happy-earth/) [Joyce Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-kilmer/) > [At 1.24 am on 26 April 1986 Chernobyl’s Unit 4 reactor exploded after staff disabled safety systems and performed an ill-advised experiment to check…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/at-1-24-am-on-26-april-1986-chernobyl-s-unit-4-reactor-exploded-after/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) > [People born in April are very loving and caring people. They are the ones who have the best memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-born-in-april-are-very-loving-and-caring-people-they-are-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ah, March! we know thou art Kind-hearted, spite of ugly looks and threats, And, out of sight, art nursing April's violets!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-hunt-jackson/ah-march-we-know-thou-art-kind-hearted-spite-of-ugly-looks-and/) [Helen Hunt Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-hunt-jackson/) > [I know April, May and June are a few unbearable months, and working out in a gym and sweating in such dirty hot, sticky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashish-sharma/i-know-april-may-and-june-are-a-few-unbearable-months-and-working-out/) [Ashish Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashish-sharma/) > [Men are April when they woo, December when they wed...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/men-are-april-when-they-woo-december-when-they-wed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Oh, to be in England Now that April's there, And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/oh-to-be-in-england-now-that-april-s-there-and-whoever-wakes-in/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) [Browse all 567 April quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/april/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Just as I wonder whether it's going to die, the orchid blossoms and I can't explain why it moves my heart, why such pleasure comes from one small bud on a long spindly stem, one blood red gold flower opening at mid-summer, tiny, perfect in its hour.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Hamill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-die-the-orchid-blossoms-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "April" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-die-the-orchid-blossoms-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/sam-hamill-16399_april_just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-d_1690890.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/sam-hamill-16399_april_just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-d_1690890.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/sam-hamill-16399_april_just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-d_1690890.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just as I wonder whether it's going to die, the orchid blossoms and I can't explain why it moves my heart…” — Sam Hamill", "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": "Sam Hamill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Just as I wonder whether it's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-die-the-orchid-blossoms-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/just-as-i-wonder-whether-it-s-going-to-die-the-orchid-blossoms-and-i/#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 } } ] } ```