--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My phone doesn't ring and the doorbell…" description: "\"“My phone doesn't ring and the doorbell doesn't either and I begin to wonder whether I am still alive.”\" — Sara Baume" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/sara-baume-9481_a-line-made-by-walki_my-phone-doesn-t-ring-and-the-doorbell-d_178010.jpg" --- # My phone doesn't ring and the doorbell doesn't either and… ![“My phone doesn't ring and the doorbell doesn't either and I begin to wonder whether I am still alive.” quote by Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/sara-baume-9481_a-line-made-by-walki_my-phone-doesn-t-ring-and-the-doorbell-d_178010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/sara-baume-9481_a-line-made-by-walki_my-phone-doesn-t-ring-and-the-doorbell-d_178010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65a/sara-baume-9481_a-line-made-by-walki_my-phone-doesn-t-ring-and-the-doorbell-d_178010.jpg) > ““My phone doesn't ring and the doorbell doesn't either and I begin to wonder whether I am still alive.”” [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator questions their existence when ordinary signs of life cease, highlighting existential doubt in modern isolation. **In simple terms:** Absence of routine triggers existential questioning. Key Takeaway Seek connection and purpose beyond routine. Themes existentialism loneliness modernity Mood introspective quiet Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - Remote work - urban isolation - digital detox - mental health - spiritual practice Key Concepts Philosophy psychology daily life Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning beyond daily habits? - How do you affirm your existence? A Different Perspective Routine can be a false indicator of vitality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [A-line-made-by-walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/a-line-made-by-walking/) [Doorbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doorbell/) [Sara-baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sara-baume/) ## Related quotes > [If you think there are no new frontiers, watch a boy ring the front doorbell on his first date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-think-there-are-no-new-frontiers-watch-a-boy-ring-the-front/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never knock on Death's door. Ring the doorbell and run (he hates that).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-knock-on-death-s-door-ring-the-doorbell-and-run-he-hates-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There will come a day when the phone doesn't ring as much as it used to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-quinn/there-will-come-a-day-when-the-phone-doesn-t-ring-as-much-as-it-used/) [Aidan Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-quinn/) > [I don't have many friends so the phone doesn't ring and no one's asking me to go out and go dancing with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-have-many-friends-so-the-phone-doesn-t-ring-and-no-one-s/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There are times when your films don't work, your phone doesn't ring and you wonder what you have done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/there-are-times-when-your-films-don-t-work-your-phone-doesn-t-ring/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [If the phone doesn't ring, it's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/if-the-phone-doesn-t-ring-it-s-me/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [If your phone doesn't ring, it's not me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-your-phone-doesn-t-ring-it-s-not-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I tried to knock my wife up, but she’d only let me ring the doorbell. And she made me dress up like the pizza…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-tried-to-knock-my-wife-up-but-she-d-only-let-me-ring-the-doorbell/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“We rarely saw each other outside the walls of the gallery, but inside its glaring white spaces, to exorcise the tedium of the tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/we-rarely-saw-each-other-outside-the-walls-of-the-gallery-but-inside/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Sometimes things happen that give me cause to believe I no longer exist. Car park barriers which do not lift when I drive towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/sometimes-things-happen-that-give-me-cause-to-believe-i-no-longer/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Only the lighted houses remaining, the lemon blush of their inhabited windows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/only-the-lighted-houses-remaining-the-lemon-blush-of-their-inhabited/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“The last time I went out at night in the city was almost a year ago. It began with anxiety, then I was pleasantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-last-time-i-went-out-at-night-in-the-city-was-almost-a-year-ago/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“. . . buzzed up by the knowledge that none of my family knew where I was, who I was with nor when I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/buzzed-up-by-the-knowledge-that-none-of-my-family-knew-where-i-was/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“The entrepreneurs are only about my age, probably younger, but they don't seem so. Their tailored clothes and unbending hairdos, their clipboards and laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-entrepreneurs-are-only-about-my-age-probably-younger-but-they-don/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Why is it only now that I can see how many ordinary things are actually grotesque?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/why-is-it-only-now-that-i-can-see-how-many-ordinary-things-are/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) ## More by Sara Baume > [“The entrepreneurs are only about my age, probably younger, but they don't seem so. Their tailored clothes and unbending hairdos, their clipboards and laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-entrepreneurs-are-only-about-my-age-probably-younger-but-they-don/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“. . . buzzed up by the knowledge that none of my family knew where I was, who I was with nor when I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/buzzed-up-by-the-knowledge-that-none-of-my-family-knew-where-i-was/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“The last time I went out at night in the city was almost a year ago. It began with anxiety, then I was pleasantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-last-time-i-went-out-at-night-in-the-city-was-almost-a-year-ago/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Only the lighted houses remaining, the lemon blush of their inhabited windows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/only-the-lighted-houses-remaining-the-lemon-blush-of-their-inhabited/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Sometimes things happen that give me cause to believe I no longer exist. Car park barriers which do not lift when I drive towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/sometimes-things-happen-that-give-me-cause-to-believe-i-no-longer/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Why must I test myself? Because no one else will, not anymore. Now that I am no longer a student of any kind, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/why-must-i-test-myself-because-no-one-else-will-not-anymore-now-that/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Why is it only now that I can see how many ordinary things are actually grotesque?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/why-is-it-only-now-that-i-can-see-how-many-ordinary-things-are/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“We rarely saw each other outside the walls of the gallery, but inside its glaring white spaces, to exorcise the tedium of the tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/we-rarely-saw-each-other-outside-the-walls-of-the-gallery-but-inside/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Everything is very nearly over. And so none of the normal rules of behavior apply. And so none of my actions can have consequences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/everything-is-very-nearly-over-and-so-none-of-the-normal-rules-of/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“It happens so seldom; I must catch and keep this slender yearning, a rare beetle in a jam-jar trap. But mustering will is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/it-happens-so-seldom-i-must-catch-and-keep-this-slender-yearning-a/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Though I am naturally curious about people, I'm also naturally uneasy when they are right in front of me; when I am right in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/though-i-am-naturally-curious-about-people-i-m-also-naturally-uneasy/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“People don't like it when you say real things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/people-don-t-like-it-when-you-say-real-things/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“In the days approaching Christmas, she always reminds me of the previous year: 'Jane crocheted you an entire poncho, and all you gave her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/in-the-days-approaching-christmas-she-always-reminds-me-of-the/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Whether or not I want to see him, I do not want him to see me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/whether-or-not-i-want-to-see-him-i-do-not-want-him-to-see-me/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“I never went downstairs to join my housemates around the television. I cooked dinner later than everyone else and carried the plate up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/i-never-went-downstairs-to-join-my-housemates-around-the-television-i/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) [Explore all 72 Sara Baume quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) ## More A-line-made-by-walking quotes > [“The entrepreneurs are only about my age, probably younger, but they don't seem so. 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It began with anxiety, then I was pleasantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-last-time-i-went-out-at-night-in-the-city-was-almost-a-year-ago/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Only the lighted houses remaining, the lemon blush of their inhabited windows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/only-the-lighted-houses-remaining-the-lemon-blush-of-their-inhabited/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Sometimes things happen that give me cause to believe I no longer exist. Car park barriers which do not lift when I drive towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/sometimes-things-happen-that-give-me-cause-to-believe-i-no-longer/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Why is it only now that I can see how many ordinary things are actually grotesque?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/why-is-it-only-now-that-i-can-see-how-many-ordinary-things-are/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“We rarely saw each other outside the walls of the gallery, but inside its glaring white spaces, to exorcise the tedium of the tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/we-rarely-saw-each-other-outside-the-walls-of-the-gallery-but-inside/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Everything is very nearly over. And so none of the normal rules of behavior apply. And so none of my actions can have consequences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/everything-is-very-nearly-over-and-so-none-of-the-normal-rules-of/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“It happens so seldom; I must catch and keep this slender yearning, a rare beetle in a jam-jar trap. But mustering will is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/it-happens-so-seldom-i-must-catch-and-keep-this-slender-yearning-a/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Though I am naturally curious about people, I'm also naturally uneasy when they are right in front of me; when I am right in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/though-i-am-naturally-curious-about-people-i-m-also-naturally-uneasy/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“People don't like it when you say real things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/people-don-t-like-it-when-you-say-real-things/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“In the days approaching Christmas, she always reminds me of the previous year: 'Jane crocheted you an entire poncho, and all you gave her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/in-the-days-approaching-christmas-she-always-reminds-me-of-the/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“Whether or not I want to see him, I do not want him to see me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/whether-or-not-i-want-to-see-him-i-do-not-want-him-to-see-me/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) > [“I never went downstairs to join my housemates around the television. 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