--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler…" description: "\"“Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around anything. Show me your body, he said. It only means one thing.”\" — Sarah Ruhl" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/sarah-ruhl-13926_commands_orpheus-said-the-mind-is-a-slide-ruler-i_3082465.jpg" --- # Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around… ![“Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around anything. Show me your body, he said. It only means one thing.” quote by Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/sarah-ruhl-13926_commands_orpheus-said-the-mind-is-a-slide-ruler-i_3082465.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/sarah-ruhl-13926_commands_orpheus-said-the-mind-is-a-slide-ruler-i_3082465.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/sarah-ruhl-13926_commands_orpheus-said-the-mind-is-a-slide-ruler-i_3082465.jpg) > ““Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around anything. Show me your body, he said. It only means one thing.”” [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind is adaptable, shaping itself to any circumstance, revealing deeper truths about identity and desire. **In simple terms:** The mind can fit any situation. Key Takeaway Recognize flexibility in thought. Themes identity desire adaptability Mood contemplative introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - artistic creation - personal reflection - relationship dynamics Key Concepts psychology metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does mental adaptability affect self‑understanding? - When does flexibility become avoidance? A Different Perspective Mind's flexibility may mask underlying rigidity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-said-397284/) [Commands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commands/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Orpheus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orpheus/) [Orpheus Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orpheus-said-1084648/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Said Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-mind-1358621/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) ## Related quotes > [“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-music-he-would-get-a-funny-look/) [sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“If we were in a restaurant sometimes Orpheus would look sullen and wouldn't talk to me and I thought people felt sorry for me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/if-we-were-in-a-restaurant-sometimes-orpheus-would-look-sullen-and/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-music-he-would-get-a-funny-look-2/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [I've always been a person that has said what's on my mind and stand behind it with a lot of heart and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-wallace/i-ve-always-been-a-person-that-has-said-what-s-on-my-mind-and-stand/) [Bubba Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-wallace/) > [There is at least this to be said for mind, that it can dispel mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/there-is-at-least-this-to-be-said-for-mind-that-it-can-dispel-mind/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [I said in my mind, 'keep fighting.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-clijsters/i-said-in-my-mind-keep-fighting/) [Kim Clijsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-clijsters/) > [I've always said of myself I can do mostly anything if I put my mind to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-hillis/i-ve-always-said-of-myself-i-can-do-mostly-anything-if-i-put-my-mind/) [Peyton Hillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-hillis/) > [Among the facts of the universe to be accounted for, it may be said, is Mind; and it is self evident that nothing can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/among-the-facts-of-the-universe-to-be-accounted-for-it-may-be-said-is/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Mind led body to the edge of the precipice. They stared in desire at the naked abyss. If you love me, said mind, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stevenson/mind-led-body-to-the-edge-of-the-precipice-they-stared-in-desire-at/) [Anne Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stevenson/) > [He might never really do what he said, but at least he had it in mind. He had somewhere to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/he-might-never-really-do-what-he-said-but-at-least-he-had-it-in-mind/) [Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/) > [What does it matter where my body happens to be?' he said. 'My mind goes on working all the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/what-does-it-matter-where-my-body-happens-to-be-he-said-my-mind-goes/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [“A man should pay tribute to your body," he said softly... "For you are beautiful, and that is your right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/a-man-should-pay-tribute-to-your-body-he-said-softly-for-you-are/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“Well, sometimes if something is really important to you, it gets stuck in your body,” he said, poking her ribs and making her laugh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-glenn/well-sometimes-if-something-is-really-important-to-you-it-gets-stuck/) [Priscilla Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-glenn/) > [“I don't know what they are. They aren't completely human, so I don't know what to call them." I pulled one of the bags…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-morgan/i-don-t-know-what-they-are-they-aren-t-completely-human-so-i-don-t/) [Elizabeth Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-morgan/) > [“Can I tell you a boring science fact?" she whispered. "I bet you didn't learn it in Shadowhunter history class." "If you're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/can-i-tell-you-a-boring-science-fact-she-whispered-i-bet-you-didn-t/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More by Sarah Ruhl > [“I hate parties. And a wedding is the biggest party of all. All the guests arrived and Orpheus is taking a shower. He's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/i-hate-parties-and-a-wedding-is-the-biggest-party-of-all-all-the/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved's hand? And lie there, for fortnights, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/have-you-ever-been-so-melancholy-that-you-wanted-to-fit-in-the-palm/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“the theater is one of the few places left in the bright and noisy world where we sit in the quiet dark together, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/the-theater-is-one-of-the-few-places-left-in-the-bright-and-noisy/) [sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [I do think there's a relationship between a book and a reader that's more intimate, in many ways, than the relationship between an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/i-do-think-there-s-a-relationship-between-a-book-and-a-reader-that-s/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“When you read a novel, it seems that everything is clear, trite and understandable. But when you yourself fall in love, you understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/when-you-read-a-novel-it-seems-that-everything-is-clear-trite-and/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“When you snatch happiness in little bits, fits and starts, and lose it, like me, you become coarse, little by little, you become hateful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/when-you-snatch-happiness-in-little-bits-fits-and-starts-and-lose-it/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [Sitting down with younger women writers and saying, "This is what I do and you can do this" is hugely important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/sitting-down-with-younger-women-writers-and-saying-this-is-what-i-do/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [Attachment parenting is this theory that if you wear your baby around and you sleep with your baby and you breast-feed for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/attachment-parenting-is-this-theory-that-if-you-wear-your-baby-around/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [We all exist in relation to the world, our partners, the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-our-partners-the-human-race/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“Play itself is a primary process, not a luxury, not a hobby, but something all children must do to survive into adulthood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/play-itself-is-a-primary-process-not-a-luxury-not-a-hobby-but/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-music-he-would-get-a-funny-look/) [sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“What silly little things sometimes take on meaning in life, suddenly, out of nowhere. And you know they're little nothings, and you laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/what-silly-little-things-sometimes-take-on-meaning-in-life-suddenly/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [Being dead is the most airtight defense of one's own aesthetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/being-dead-is-the-most-airtight-defense-of-one-s-own-aesthetic/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“Don't make a wall of glass between your play and the people watching. Don't forget they were once children, who enjoyed being read to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/don-t-make-a-wall-of-glass-between-your-play-and-the-people-watching/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [Plays are architecture, and you can make them stand in many ways that are hard to describe. And, I think, in our limited ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/plays-are-architecture-and-you-can-make-them-stand-in-many-ways-that/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) [Explore all 48 Sarah Ruhl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) ## More Commands quotes > [It is the mind that shapes the body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pilates/it-is-the-mind-that-shapes-the-body/) [Joseph Pilates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pilates/) > [“The lion commands respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/the-lion-commands-respect/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The mind, too, has its regimen. It needs gymnastics, just like the body does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/the-mind-too-has-its-regimen-it-needs-gymnastics-just-like-the-body/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [We plainly perceive that the mind strengthens and decays with the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/we-plainly-perceive-that-the-mind-strengthens-and-decays-with-the-body/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“The body tells the mind what to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harold-fink/the-body-tells-the-mind-what-to-think/) [David Harold Fink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harold-fink/) > [“You know what you get when the mind and body act as one?...You get harmony...remember that. There is no you. There is no it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/you-know-what-you-get-when-the-mind-and-body-act-as-one-you-get/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“The mind commands the body and is instantly obeyed. The mind commands itself and meets resistance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-augustine-of-hippo/the-mind-commands-the-body-and-is-instantly-obeyed-the-mind-commands/) [St. Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-augustine-of-hippo/) > [I think that there was a fad where everyone said, 'I want you to create a signature step for my artist.' The thing is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/i-think-that-there-was-a-fad-where-everyone-said-i-want-you-to-create/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [He who commands the sea has command of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/he-who-commands-the-sea-has-command-of-everything/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [The great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God's commands in the midst of the storms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/the-great-test-of-life-is-to-see-whether-we-will-hearken-to-and-obey/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [“There is, I came to realize, what the mind wants and what the body wants. The mind can excite the body, but its desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/there-is-i-came-to-realize-what-the-mind-wants-and-what-the-body/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [Because the body is the end product of intelligence and how that intelligence shapes your reality will shape the reality of the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/because-the-body-is-the-end-product-of-intelligence-and-how-that/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“Please, God give us the grace to carefully obey all your commands,.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/please-god-give-us-the-grace-to-carefully-obey-all-your-commands/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“At the end of the mind, the body. But at the end of the body, the mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/at-the-end-of-the-mind-the-body-but-at-the-end-of-the-body-the-mind/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“Commands- you're sure to hear from above if you're placed down below.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/commands-you-re-sure-to-hear-from-above-if-you-re-placed-down-below/) [Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/) [Browse all 113 Commands quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commands/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around anything. Show me your body, he said. 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