--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But if sound did not already exist before…" description: "\"“But if sound did not already exist before you clapped, you could not make the sound. Before you make it there is sound. Because there is sound, you ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/shunryu-suzuki-1280_hear-sound_but-if-sound-did-not-already-exist-befor_2454994.png" --- # But if sound did not already exist before you clapped, you… ![“But if sound did not already exist before you clapped, you could not make the sound. Before you make it there is sound. Because there is sound, you can make it, and you can hear it. Sound is everywhere.” quote by Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/shunryu-suzuki-1280_hear-sound_but-if-sound-did-not-already-exist-befor_2454994.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/shunryu-suzuki-1280_hear-sound_but-if-sound-did-not-already-exist-befor_2454994.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/shunryu-suzuki-1280_hear-sound_but-if-sound-did-not-already-exist-befor_2454994.png) > ““But if sound did not already exist before you clapped, you could not make the sound. Before you make it there is sound. Because there is sound, you can make it, and you can hear it. Sound is everywhere.”” [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sound exists continuously; our actions (like clapping) create new sounds within that ever-present field. **In simple terms:** Sound is always present; actions create new sounds. Key Takeaway Recognize the constant presence of potential. Themes mindfulness sound presence action Mood calm contemplative Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - music - communication - meditation - daily activities Key Concepts impermanence interconnectedness Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of constant sound affect you? - In what ways can you create harmony in your actions? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex acoustic phenomena. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [ You see something or hear a sound, and there you have everything just as it is. \[...\] Whatever you do, it should be an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/you-see-something-or-hear-a-sound-and-there-you-have-everything-just/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [One minute I was a clapped-out, two-guinea, legal-aid lawyer, and the next minute I was in parliament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-minute-i-was-a-clapped-out-two-guinea-legal-aid-lawyer-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You didn't," John said, stepping from the shadows as he clapped for me, "even hit your head this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/you-didn-t-john-said-stepping-from-the-shadows-as-he-clapped-for-me/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [“Yeah. We consulted our crystal balls, so we knew just when to drop the piano out of the window.” I clapped my hands together.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-f-breene/yeah-we-consulted-our-crystal-balls-so-we-knew-just-when-to-drop-the/) [K.F. Breene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-f-breene/) > [“That left Cam, who was standing close to Daniel, their arms clapped around each other’s shoulders. “You pulled it off, brother.” “Course I did.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/that-left-cam-who-was-standing-close-to-daniel-their-arms-clapped/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [“William clapped to gain everyone's attention. "All right, listen up. I've got good news and bad news. Because I'm such a positive person, we'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/william-clapped-to-gain-everyone-s-attention-all-right-listen-up-i-ve/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“They all laughed and clapped, taking it for a deliberate witticism, while he had no idea what he was saying, so great was his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/they-all-laughed-and-clapped-taking-it-for-a-deliberate-witticism/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [“He jumped to the adjacent table and America squealed and clapped, elbowing me. I shook my head; I had died and woken up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/he-jumped-to-the-adjacent-table-and-america-squealed-and-clapped/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [I have no face, only two profiles clapped together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-asquith/i-have-no-face-only-two-profiles-clapped-together/) [Margot Asquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-asquith/) > [“But, however, I clapped a stopper over his capers.’ Dr Maturin was proud of his nautical expressions: sometimes he got them right, but right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/but-however-i-clapped-a-stopper-over-his-capers-dr-maturin-was-proud/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“Licata’s free hand clapped over his gaping mouth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/licata-s-free-hand-clapped-over-his-gaping-mouth/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [I clapped because its finished, not because I liked it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-hartman/i-clapped-because-its-finished-not-because-i-liked-it/) [Celeste Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-hartman/) > [“Max clapped his hands. “Go, go, go!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/max-clapped-his-hands-go-go-go/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [I clapped because it finished, not because I liked it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-martinez/i-clapped-because-it-finished-not-because-i-liked-it/) [Alfonso Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-martinez/) > [This year I wish to be dead They all clapped They didn't know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma/this-year-i-wish-to-be-dead-they-all-clapped-they-didn-t-know/) [Emma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma/) ## More by Shunryu Suzuki > [The point we emphasize is strong confidence in our original nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-point-we-emphasize-is-strong-confidence-in-our-original-nature/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/if-you-continue-this-simple-practice-every-day-you-will-obtain-some/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [You want to eliminate your evil desires in order to reveal your Buddha nature, but where will you throw them away?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/you-want-to-eliminate-your-evil-desires-in-order-to-reveal-your/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/ego-is-a-social-institution-with-no-physical-reality-the-ego-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind, there are few.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/in-the-beginner-s-mind-there-are-many-possibilities-in-the-experts/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The seed has no idea of being some particular plant, but it has its own form and is in perfect harmony with the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-seed-has-no-idea-of-being-some-particular-plant-but-it-has-its/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Whereever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/whereever-you-are-you-are-one-with-the-clouds-and-one-with-the-sun/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/when-we-become-truly-ourselves-we-just-become-a-swinging-door-and-we/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/zen-is-not-some-fancy-special-art-of-living-our-teaching-is-just-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/so-the-secret-is-just-to-say-yes-and-jump-off-from-here-then-there-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/our-tendency-is-to-be-interested-in-something-that-is-growing-in-the/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The world is its own magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-world-is-its-own-magic/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/people-say-that-practicing-zen-is-difficult-but-there-is-a/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/each-one-of-us-must-make-his-own-true-way-and-when-we-do-that-way/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-purpose-of-our-practice-is-just-to-be-yourself/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) [Explore all 262 Shunryu Suzuki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## More Hear Sound quotes > [It's sometimes better to pretend I don't hear the sound of somebody in the nearby woods with a shotgun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/it-s-sometimes-better-to-pretend-i-don-t-hear-the-sound-of-somebody/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Let them talk all they want behind your back, you know they'll eventually shut up the moment they hear the sound of your footsteps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-them-talk-all-they-want-behind-your-back-you-know-they-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like to hear the sound of form, and I like to hear the sound of it breaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-seidel/i-like-to-hear-the-sound-of-form-and-i-like-to-hear-the-sound-of-it/) [Frederick Seidel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-seidel/) > [And if there are no cars or planes, and if no one’s Uncle John is out in the wood lot west of town banging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/and-if-there-are-no-cars-or-planes-and-if-no-one-s-uncle-john-is-out/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Now I will do nothing but listen to accrue what I hear into this song. To let sounds contribute toward it. I hear the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/now-i-will-do-nothing-but-listen-to-accrue-what-i-hear-into-this-song/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [If you really listen...you can hear the sound of no one caring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walters/if-you-really-listen-you-can-hear-the-sound-of-no-one-caring/) [Tim Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walters/) > [“The Music blows wherever Music pleases, you hear it’s sound, but you cannot tell where the Music comes from or where the Music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/the-music-blows-wherever-music-pleases-you-hear-it-s-sound-but-you/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [You do your work as fully as you can, and the ones who hear the sound join in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/you-do-your-work-as-fully-as-you-can-and-the-ones-who-hear-the-sound/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [You know when glass falls, because you hear the sound. You know when a bulb burns out, because you see only darkness. But...how do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-when-glass-falls-because-you-hear-the-sound-you-know-when-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Did you hear that? The sound That was my heart asking you to stay For ever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismaaciil-c-ubax/did-you-hear-that-the-sound-that-was-my-heart-asking-you-to-stay-for/) [Ismaaciil C. Ubax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismaaciil-c-ubax/) > [“They live life out loud. Can you hear their sound?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innocent-mwatsikesimbe/they-live-life-out-loud-can-you-hear-their-sound/) [Innocent Mwatsikesimbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innocent-mwatsikesimbe/) > [“Let's hear the sound of the baby pianny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/let-s-hear-the-sound-of-the-baby-pianny/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [As soon as I hear a sound, it always suggests a mood to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/as-soon-as-i-hear-a-sound-it-always-suggests-a-mood-to-me/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [“As I walked, I began to hear the sound of running water. It's impossible to hear that sound and not go searching for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/as-i-walked-i-began-to-hear-the-sound-of-running-water-it-s/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [When it is very quiet and you want to hear that sound clip or read those back from the beginning or see those plates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/legray/when-it-is-very-quiet-and-you-want-to-hear-that-sound-clip-or-read-2/) Legray Browse all 43 Hear Sound quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But if sound did not already exist before you clapped, you could not make the sound. Before you make it there is sound. Because there is sound, you can make it, and you can hear it. 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