--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline…" description: "\"“The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline, like all boundaries beckons and asks to be crossed.”\" — Susanna Kaysen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/susanna-kaysen-3041_borderline_the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline_1826764.png" --- # The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline, like all… ![“The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline, like all boundaries beckons and asks to be crossed.” quote by Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/susanna-kaysen-3041_borderline_the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline_1826764.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/susanna-kaysen-3041_borderline_the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline_1826764.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/susanna-kaysen-3041_borderline_the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline_1826764.png) > ““The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline, like all boundaries beckons and asks to be crossed.”” [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Boundaries are fluid and invite curiosity, urging us to cross them and discover new possibilities. **In simple terms:** Crossing borders invites growth. Key Takeaway Embrace change and explore the unknown. Themes psychology personal growth boundaries curiosity transformation Mood reflective thoughtful encouraging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative projects - life transitions - travel decisions Key Concepts fluidity risk taking self discovery Questions to Reflect On - What boundaries are you hesitant to cross? - What could you learn by stepping beyond? A Different Perspective Crossing can be risky and may lead to unintended consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) ## Related quotes > [Are you crazy? It's a common phrase, I know. But it means something particular to me: the tunnels, the security screens, the plastic forks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/are-you-crazy-it-s-a-common-phrase-i-know-but-it-means-something/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I like the boundaries, the kinds of conventions of a documentary and having to work within that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-like-the-boundaries-the-kinds-of-conventions-of-a-documentary-and/) [Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/) > [I enjoy having some boundaries to work within. That's why I generally don't like alternate tunings and stuff like that. I like the boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-mascis/i-enjoy-having-some-boundaries-to-work-within-that-s-why-i-generally/) [J Mascis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-mascis/) > [With 'Wicked,' I was stepping into a role that I didn't make so that felt like I had more boundaries then I did with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-mendez/with-wicked-i-was-stepping-into-a-role-that-i-didn-t-make-so-that/) [Lindsay Mendez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-mendez/) > [The biographies of the great men see their excesses as signs of their greatness. But Jean Rhys, in her biography, is read as borderline;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/the-biographies-of-the-great-men-see-their-excesses-as-signs-of-their/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) > [Working is the best thing for me because I'm borderline ADHD, so I need some kind of focus or I go a bit extreme.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-winstone/working-is-the-best-thing-for-me-because-i-m-borderline-adhd-so-i/) [Jaime Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-winstone/) > [Sports is so hard for me to wrap my head around. I never played any sports, I don't watch any sports, I hardly know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-clifton/sports-is-so-hard-for-me-to-wrap-my-head-around-i-never-played-any/) [Scott Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-clifton/) > [My brother has a tendency to get quite lyrical when he writes music; he gets so romantic, it's borderline. I make it slightly more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/my-brother-has-a-tendency-to-get-quite-lyrical-when-he-writes-music/) [Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/) > [Welcome to the psychiatric hotline: if you are obsessive compulsive press one repeatedly. If you are schizophrenic listen closely and a little voice will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-oakley/welcome-to-the-psychiatric-hotline-if-you-are-obsessive-compulsive/) [Barbara Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-oakley/) > [I don't know if my mother was a narcissist - or bi-polar or borderline. Those were words she tossed around over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-don-t-know-if-my-mother-was-a-narcissist-or-bi-polar-or-borderline/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [To my mind, nothing is as important as good writing, because in literature, the walls between people and cultures are broken down, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bausch/to-my-mind-nothing-is-as-important-as-good-writing-because-in/) [Richard Bausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bausch/) > [“So at family gatherings… I try to stick to the acceptable script. Indeed, I discover that the less I say, the happier everyone seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-van-gelder/so-at-family-gatherings-i-try-to-stick-to-the-acceptable-script/) [Kiera Van Gelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-van-gelder/) > [“When you fall in love, everything is impregnated with new meaning. It is as if you suddenly have borderline personality disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-thurlow/when-you-fall-in-love-everything-is-impregnated-with-new-meaning-it/) [Chloe Thurlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-thurlow/) > [The real problem with big issues like Medicare is that both parties have to be brave at the same time. Every pollster will tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/the-real-problem-with-big-issues-like-medicare-is-that-both-parties/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) ## More by Susanna Kaysen > [I had an inspiration once. I woke up one morning and I knew that it was my task to swallow fifty asprin.It was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-had-an-inspiration-once-i-woke-up-one-morning-and-i-knew-that-it/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I don't have a whole bunch of literary connections. I don't write reviews or attend writer's conferences. I'm kind of shy and don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-don-t-have-a-whole-bunch-of-literary-connections-i-don-t-write/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Light like this does not exist, but we wish it did. 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Though we were cut off from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/for-many-of-us-the-hospital-was-as-much-a-refuge-as-it-was-a-prison/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Freedom was the price of privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/freedom-was-the-price-of-privacy/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“People ask, How did you get in there? What they really want to know is if they are likely to end up in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/people-ask-how-did-you-get-in-there-what-they-really-want-to-know-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It was my misfortune-or salvation-to be at all times perfectly conscious of my misperceptions of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-was-my-misfortune-or-salvation-to-be-at-all-times-perfectly/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Scar tissue has no character. It's not like skin. It doesn't show age or illness or pallor or tan. It has no pores, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/scar-tissue-has-no-character-it-s-not-like-skin-it-doesn-t-show-age/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [ Disease \[is\] as one of our languages. Doctors understand what disease has to say about itself. It's up to the person with the disease… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/disease-is-as-one-of-our-languages-doctors-understand-what-disease/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“Asa had a sharp understanding of the future--that is, a time when this would be past. Time was rushing through and around him, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/asa-had-a-sharp-understanding-of-the-future-that-is-a-time-when-this/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) [Explore all 137 Susanna Kaysen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## More Borderline quotes > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [I don't know if my mother was a narcissist - or bi-polar or borderline. Those were words she tossed around over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-don-t-know-if-my-mother-was-a-narcissist-or-bi-polar-or-borderline/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [Working is the best thing for me because I'm borderline ADHD, so I need some kind of focus or I go a bit extreme.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-winstone/working-is-the-best-thing-for-me-because-i-m-borderline-adhd-so-i/) [Jaime Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-winstone/) > [The real problem with big issues like Medicare is that both parties have to be brave at the same time. Every pollster will tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/the-real-problem-with-big-issues-like-medicare-is-that-both-parties/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“When you fall in love, everything is impregnated with new meaning. It is as if you suddenly have borderline personality disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-thurlow/when-you-fall-in-love-everything-is-impregnated-with-new-meaning-it/) [Chloe Thurlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-thurlow/) > [“So at family gatherings… I try to stick to the acceptable script. Indeed, I discover that the less I say, the happier everyone seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-van-gelder/so-at-family-gatherings-i-try-to-stick-to-the-acceptable-script/) [Kiera Van Gelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-van-gelder/) > [To my mind, nothing is as important as good writing, because in literature, the walls between people and cultures are broken down, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bausch/to-my-mind-nothing-is-as-important-as-good-writing-because-in/) [Richard Bausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bausch/) > [Welcome to the psychiatric hotline: if you are obsessive compulsive press one repeatedly. If you are schizophrenic listen closely and a little voice will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-oakley/welcome-to-the-psychiatric-hotline-if-you-are-obsessive-compulsive/) [Barbara Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-oakley/) > [My brother has a tendency to get quite lyrical when he writes music; he gets so romantic, it's borderline. I make it slightly more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/my-brother-has-a-tendency-to-get-quite-lyrical-when-he-writes-music/) [Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/) > [Sports is so hard for me to wrap my head around. I never played any sports, I don't watch any sports, I hardly know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-clifton/sports-is-so-hard-for-me-to-wrap-my-head-around-i-never-played-any/) [Scott Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-clifton/) > [“            Tempting as it may be to draw one conclusion or another from my story and universalize it to apply to another's experience, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-reiland/tempting-as-it-may-be-to-draw-one-conclusion-or-another-from-my-story/) [Rachel Reiland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-reiland/) > [I lived right on the borderline of a black neighborhood. So I could go into the black area and then there'd be these ghetto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-lived-right-on-the-borderline-of-a-black-neighborhood-so-i-could-go/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [There's no borderline for the things that I can say, do, and create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/there-s-no-borderline-for-the-things-that-i-can-say-do-and-create/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [“The theologian Paul Tillich wrote that "loneliness can be conquered only by those who can bear solitude." Because the borderline finds solitude so difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerold-j-kreisman/the-theologian-paul-tillich-wrote-that-loneliness-can-be-conquered/) Jerold J. Kreisman > [In those sticky summer nights in South London our windows stay open and our tiny apartment becomes our secret garden. The magic of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diriye-osman/in-those-sticky-summer-nights-in-south-london-our-windows-stay-open/) [Diriye Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diriye-osman/) Browse all 108 Borderline quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline, like all boundaries beckons and asks to be crossed.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susanna Kaysen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline-like-all-boundaries-beckons/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Borderline" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline-like-all-boundaries-beckons/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/susanna-kaysen-3041_borderline_the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline_1826764.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/susanna-kaysen-3041_borderline_the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline_1826764.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/778/susanna-kaysen-3041_borderline_the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline_1826764.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline, like all boundaries beckons and asks to be crossed.” — Susanna Kaysen", "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": "Susanna Kaysen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The shimmering, ever-shifting borderline, like all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline-like-all-boundaries-beckons/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/the-shimmering-ever-shifting-borderline-like-all-boundaries-beckons/#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 } } ] } ```