--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I like to think I live with…" description: "\"“Sometimes I like to think I live with ghosts. Not from my past, but wispy bits of ideas and books that hang in the air like silk puppets. Sometimes I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/scarlett-thomas-8232_books_sometimes-i-like-to-think-i-live-with-gh_2505916.png" --- # Sometimes I like to think I live with ghosts. Not from my… ![“Sometimes I like to think I live with ghosts. Not from my past, but wispy bits of ideas and books that hang in the air like silk puppets. Sometimes I think I see my own ideas, floating around too, but they usually don't last that long. They're more like mayflies; they're born, big and gleaming…” quote by Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/scarlett-thomas-8232_books_sometimes-i-like-to-think-i-live-with-gh_2505916.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/scarlett-thomas-8232_books_sometimes-i-like-to-think-i-live-with-gh_2505916.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/scarlett-thomas-8232_books_sometimes-i-like-to-think-i-live-with-gh_2505916.png) > ““Sometimes I like to think I live with ghosts. Not from my past, but wispy bits of ideas and books that hang in the air like silk puppets. Sometimes I think I see my own ideas, floating around too, but they usually don't last that long. They're more like mayflies; they're born, big and gleaming, and then they fly around, buzzing like crazy before they fall to the floor, dead, about twenty four hours later.”” [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas are fleeting, like mayflies, appearing briefly then fading, reflecting the transient nature of thoughts and inspiration. **In simple terms:** Ideas appear briefly and fade. Key Takeaway Embrace ideas while they’re fresh. Themes creativity impermanence thoughts Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing - brainstorming - academic research - artistic projects Key Concepts ephemerality inspiration mental imagery Questions to Reflect On - How do you preserve fleeting ideas? - What habits help you retain inspiration? A Different Perspective Ideas can be lost if not captured quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Doubts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubts/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The older you get, the more you live with ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-tosches/the-older-you-get-the-more-you-live-with-ghosts/) [Nick Tosches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-tosches/) > [“The ghosts of our past have come to haunt us at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-a-franklin/the-ghosts-of-our-past-have-come-to-haunt-us-at-last/) Lindsay A. Franklin > [Sometimes a man's spirit just ain't strong enough to withstand the ghosts from his past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirina-joanna-cowman/sometimes-a-man-s-spirit-just-ain-t-strong-enough-to-withstand-the/) Kirina Joanna Cowman > [With the ghosts of my past and their skeletons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boys-like-girls/with-the-ghosts-of-my-past-and-their-skeletons/) [Boys Like Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boys-like-girls/) > [When you have a time of crisis what happens depends on what ideas are floating around, and what ideas have been developed, and thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/when-you-have-a-time-of-crisis-what-happens-depends-on-what-ideas-are/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [“Compared to a star, we are like mayflies, fleeting ephemeral creatures who live out their whole lives in the course of a single day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/compared-to-a-star-we-are-like-mayflies-fleeting-ephemeral-creatures/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“All the eyes flew away from me like mayflies, I couldn't catch a single one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-ko-tawada/all-the-eyes-flew-away-from-me-like-mayflies-i-couldn-t-catch-a/) [Yōko Tawada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-ko-tawada/) > [“So many careers came and went through me: salamander finder, crawfish annoyer, flat-stone creek skipper, cedar chest smeller, railroad car counter, tin can stomper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/so-many-careers-came-and-went-through-me-salamander-finder-crawfish/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [“The river rises, flows over its banks and carries us all away, like mayflies floating downstream: they stare at the sun, then all at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-river-rises-flows-over-its-banks-and-carries-us-all-away-like/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [I usually have two or three ideas floating around. When I have free time, the one I end up thinking most about is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-usually-have-two-or-three-ideas-floating-around-when-i-have-free/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Ideas are floating like fish. Desire for an idea is like a bait on a hook. If you desire an idea, it pulls and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/ideas-are-floating-like-fish-desire-for-an-idea-is-like-a-bait-on-a/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [There are always a bunch of ideas floating around and I do the best that I can to try to not do them. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/there-are-always-a-bunch-of-ideas-floating-around-and-i-do-the-best/) [J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/) > [Life is handing you an opportunity to come full circle, to shine your light on the dark days of your break-up and to exorcise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/life-is-handing-you-an-opportunity-to-come-full-circle-to-shine-your/) Kemmy Nola Http://wwwamoreloveforlifecom > [If you want to find happiness that will last, set yourself free from the ghosts of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/if-you-want-to-find-happiness-that-will-last-set-yourself-free-from/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I like to feed the ghosts of my past. They’re hungry. They’re always hungry. And whatever’s left of this heart never seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-hart/i-like-to-feed-the-ghosts-of-my-past-they-re-hungry-they-re-always/) [Christina Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-hart/) ## More by Scarlett Thomas > [“Someone who has the delusion Glass, is made of, does not literally believe herself to be made of glass but rather feels fragile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/someone-who-has-the-delusion-glass-is-made-of-does-not-literally/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“Child, all books are magic. Just think,' he said, 'about what books make people do. People go to war on the basis of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/child-all-books-are-magic-just-think-he-said-about-what-books-make/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Living for ever would be like marrying yourself, with no possibility of a divorce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/living-for-ever-would-be-like-marrying-yourself-with-no-possibility/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [But I quite like the way you can talk about science without necessarily using mathematics, but using metaphors instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/but-i-quite-like-the-way-you-can-talk-about-science-without/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“My mind now has a celebration party and a funeral going on in the same room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/my-mind-now-has-a-celebration-party-and-a-funeral-going-on-in-the/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [You can't do science in a novel, but you can do philosophy. Or, if you're really lucky, you can manage to pose a question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/you-can-t-do-science-in-a-novel-but-you-can-do-philosophy-or-if-you/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“Even if you did drop into someone's consciousness, you'd have all their memories and desires and hang-ups right there in front of you. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/even-if-you-did-drop-into-someone-s-consciousness-you-d-have-all/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [I erased the thought from my mind, but I couldn't undo the fact that I'd had the thought in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-erased-the-thought-from-my-mind-but-i-couldn-t-undo-the-fact-that-i/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“They really do have nothing in common on paper, these people and him. But yet there are so many common reference points; even some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/they-really-do-have-nothing-in-common-on-paper-these-people-and-him/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“Aquinas wondered what would happen if God wanted to achieve universal resurrection. In other words, bringing everybody who had ever lived back to life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/aquinas-wondered-what-would-happen-if-god-wanted-to-achieve-universal/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“There's something romantic about it, of course, in the way only other people's lives can be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/there-s-something-romantic-about-it-of-course-in-the-way-only-other/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [Routine kills creative thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/routine-kills-creative-thought/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [You tell them what a happy ending consists of, which is always individual success. You tell them that nothing irrational exists in this world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/you-tell-them-what-a-happy-ending-consists-of-which-is-always/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [I hate stereotypes and I hate cliche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-hate-stereotypes-and-i-hate-cliche/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [“Not all events are stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/not-all-events-are-stories/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) [Explore all 81 Scarlett Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes I like to think I live with ghosts. Not from my past, but wispy bits of ideas and books that hang in the air like silk puppets. Sometimes I think I see my own ideas, floating around too, but they usually don't last that long. 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