--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The other night I was lying in bed…" description: "\"“The other night I was lying in bed, looking up at the stars, and I wondered, 'Where the hell is my roof?”\" — Steven Wright" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/steven-wright-432_astronomy_the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looki_609257.jpg" --- # The other night I was lying in bed, looking up at the… ![“The other night I was lying in bed, looking up at the stars, and I wondered, 'Where the hell is my roof?” quote by Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/steven-wright-432_astronomy_the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looki_609257.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/steven-wright-432_astronomy_the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looki_609257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/steven-wright-432_astronomy_the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looki_609257.jpg) > ““The other night I was lying in bed, looking up at the stars, and I wondered, 'Where the hell is my roof?”” [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contemplating the absurdity of seeking external solutions for personal concerns. **In simple terms:** Looking for a roof when you already have a ceiling. Key Takeaway Focus on inner resources instead of external fixes. Themes humor existential self‑reflection Mood wry thoughtful Type humorous philosophical When to use this quote - nighttime thoughts - star‑gazing - seeking meaning Key Concepts absurdism personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What internal “roof” can you build? - How does humor reveal truth? A Different Perspective May ignore practical steps needed for change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Looking Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-stars/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Night Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-lying-1234679/) [Roof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roof/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stars Wondered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-wondered-2025108/) [Wondered Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wondered-hell-283211/) ## Related quotes > [When you're in a movie, they treat you like you're four years old and give you whatever you want. On some level it's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/when-you-re-in-a-movie-they-treat-you-like-you-re-four-years-old-and/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [“You just happened to put your hand to your face and find it damp and you wondered what the hell Christ bothered to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/you-just-happened-to-put-your-hand-to-your-face-and-find-it-damp-and/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“From across the dark bedroom, Lassiter stood in the corner next to the highboy, feeling like crap while Tohr whispered to the dress. Scrubbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/from-across-the-dark-bedroom-lassiter-stood-in-the-corner-next-to-the/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [“She often wondered what the hell was wrong with men. Sex could be fun, natural, good. Why did they have to corrupt it? Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/she-often-wondered-what-the-hell-was-wrong-with-men-sex-could-be-fun/) [J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/) > [“you wondered why in the hell the world had been created in the first place. Good things were in short supply, and so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/you-wondered-why-in-the-hell-the-world-had-been-created-in-the-first/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The minute I knew I was in love was the minute when there was no question about it. One night I was lying in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-minute-i-knew-i-was-in-love-was-the-minute-when-there-was-no-2/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“But it's funny how even after all these years you find yourself wondering just how well you know anyone. Hell, we've all been tight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-f-gifune/but-it-s-funny-how-even-after-all-these-years-you-find-yourself/) [Greg F. Gifune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-f-gifune/) > [Oh, dreams! In one night, lying with one's eyes shut, one may sometimes live through more than ten years of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/oh-dreams-in-one-night-lying-with-one-s-eyes-shut-one-may-sometimes/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [If I'm not being myself in my music, I'm getting up on stage every night and lying to myself; it would be a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jp-saxe/if-i-m-not-being-myself-in-my-music-i-m-getting-up-on-stage-every/) [JP Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jp-saxe/) > [“Time makes us grow old, but it also gives us the day and the night...Lying is a bad thing. It makes you sorry you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/time-makes-us-grow-old-but-it-also-gives-us-the-day-and-the-night/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The first day I start shooting, I start having a recurring nightmare that every single night that I am lying in bed, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/the-first-day-i-start-shooting-i-start-having-a-recurring-nightmare/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [As for me, I know nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/as-for-me-i-know-nothing-else-but-miracles-whether-i-walk-the-streets/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [When the cold comes to New England it arrives in sheets of sleet and ice. In December, the wind wraps itself around bare trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/when-the-cold-comes-to-new-england-it-arrives-in-sheets-of-sleet-and/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I am in Paris. Yes ma'am , I made it back. I came up from Berlin, stopped here ten days, fought a losing battle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/i-am-in-paris-yes-ma-am-i-made-it-back-i-came-up-from-berlin-stopped/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [Good-night! good-night! as we so oft have said Beneath this roof at midnight, in the days That are no more, and shall no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/good-night-good-night-as-we-so-oft-have-said-beneath-this-roof-at/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) ## More by Steven Wright > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/my-dental-hygienist-is-cute-every-time-i-visit-i-eat-a-whole-package/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-lawyers-are-disbarred-and-clergymen-defrocked-doesn-t-it-follow/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [If I ever had twins, I'd use one for parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-i-ever-had-twins-i-d-use-one-for-parts/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Nobody can really compare a relationship in which the victim is 15 years old to one where she's 6. While both criminal, they're very different circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/nobody-can-really-compare-a-relationship-in-which-the-victim-is-15/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I saw a tree fall in the woods, and I didn't hear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-saw-a-tree-fall-in-the-woods-and-i-didn-t-hear-it/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [It's very intense to be in front of a live audience. It's just an amazing experience. It's dangerous. Everything out there is heightened. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/it-s-very-intense-to-be-in-front-of-a-live-audience-it-s-just-an/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I got pulled over by a cop, and he said, 'do you know the speed limit here is 55 miles per hour?'. So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-got-pulled-over-by-a-cop-and-he-said-do-you-know-the-speed-limit/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Babies don't need a vacation, but I still see them at the beach... it pisses me off! I'll go over to a little baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/babies-don-t-need-a-vacation-but-i-still-see-them-at-the-beach-it/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [When I'm on stage, it's really intense. My mind is going a million miles an hour, trying to remember my act, trying to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/when-i-m-on-stage-it-s-really-intense-my-mind-is-going-a-million/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I don't like politicians, and I don't like politics. I definitely don't want to be associated with any of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-don-t-like-politicians-and-i-don-t-like-politics-i-definitely-don-t/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I went to this restaurant last night that was set up like a big buffet in the shape of an Ouija board. You'd think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-went-to-this-restaurant-last-night-that-was-set-up-like-a-big/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/why-isn-t-the-number-11-pronounced-onety-one/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/a-conscience-is-what-hurts-when-all-your-other-parts-feel-so-good/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) [Explore all 564 Steven Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) ## More Astronomy quotes > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/) [Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/) [Sylviek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylviek/) > [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The other night I was lying in bed, looking up at the stars, and I wondered, 'Where the hell is my roof?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Wright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looking-up-at-the-stars-and-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronomy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looking-up-at-the-stars-and-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/steven-wright-432_astronomy_the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looki_609257.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/steven-wright-432_astronomy_the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looki_609257.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9f/steven-wright-432_astronomy_the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looki_609257.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The other night I was lying in bed, looking up at the stars, and I wondered, 'Where the hell is my roof?” — Steven Wright", "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": "Steven Wright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The other night I was lying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looking-up-at-the-stars-and-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-other-night-i-was-lying-in-bed-looking-up-at-the-stars-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 } } ] } ```