---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At worse, one is in motion; and at best…"
description: "\"“At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no absolute, in which to rest, One is always nearer by not keeping still.”\" — Thom Gunn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/thom-gunn-15259_motion_at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-re_1036881.png"
---

#  At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no…

![“At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no absolute, in which to rest, One is always nearer by not keeping still.” quote by Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/thom-gunn-15259_motion_at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-re_1036881.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/thom-gunn-15259_motion_at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-re_1036881.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/thom-gunn-15259_motion_at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-re_1036881.png)

> ““At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no absolute, in which to rest, One is always nearer by not keeping still.””

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Movement is essential; stillness prevents progress, yet absolute rest is unattainable.

**In simple terms:** Keep moving, never settle for complete stillness.

Key Takeaway

Embrace continual motion.

Themes

philosophy motivation existence change

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career development
- personal growth
- creative work
- health routines

Key Concepts

existentialism dynamic equilibrium impermanence

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance motion and rest?
- What does “no absolute” mean for you?

A Different Perspective

Stillness can be restorative.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motion/)

## Related quotes

> [My direction? Anywhere. Because one is always nearer by not keeping still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/my-direction-anywhere-because-one-is-always-nearer-by-not-keeping/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [One is always nearer by not keeping still,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-is-always-nearer-by-not-keeping-still/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It’s the nature of human experience, which is always in some form of motion, to veer off course—sometimes in major, but consistently in minor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/it-s-the-nature-of-human-experience-which-is-always-in-some-form-of/)

[David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/)

> [Even if you can't do a full real push-up, I'd rather have you do them with a limited range of motion and work up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/even-if-you-can-t-do-a-full-real-push-up-i-d-rather-have-you-do-them/)

[Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/)

> [My role is to set everything in motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-rollins/my-role-is-to-set-everything-in-motion/)

[Jimmy Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-rollins/)

> [Ordinary photons do have spin, they have a notion of helicity so they spin around their direction on motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/ordinary-photons-do-have-spin-they-have-a-notion-of-helicity-so-they/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [You own a watch the invention of the mind, though for a single motion 'tis designed, as well as that which is with greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-blackmore/you-own-a-watch-the-invention-of-the-mind-though-for-a-single-motion/)

Richard Blackmore

> [“Gamboling is happiness in motion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jarvis-ellison/gamboling-is-happiness-in-motion/)

Joan Jarvis Ellison

> [I guess bowling is pretty mechanical. It's kind of a natural motion, but you have to stick within those mechanics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/i-guess-bowling-is-pretty-mechanical-it-s-kind-of-a-natural-motion/)

[Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/)

> [Eye's follow energy more than motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-henderson/eye-s-follow-energy-more-than-motion/)

Bradley Henderson

> [It is the Prana that is manifesting as motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/it-is-the-prana-that-is-manifesting-as-motion/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The true end of Art is not to imitate a fixed material condition, but to represent a living motion,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-inness/the-true-end-of-art-is-not-to-imitate-a-fixed-material-condition-but/)

[George Inness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-inness/)

> [The same law takes place in a system, consisting of many bodies, as in one single body, with regard to their persevering in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/the-same-law-takes-place-in-a-system-consisting-of-many-bodies-as-in/)

[Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/)

> [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/)

[John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/)

## More by Thom Gunn

> [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [It was difficult being a teacher and out of the closet in the '50s. By the time I retired, the English department was proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/it-was-difficult-being-a-teacher-and-out-of-the-closet-in-the-50s-by/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [We tend to put poems into factions. And it restricts our reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-tend-to-put-poems-into-factions-and-it-restricts-our-reading/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [We control the content of our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-control-the-content-of-our-dreams/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/deep-feeling-doesn-t-make-for-good-poetry-a-way-with-language-would/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [My old teacher's definition of poetry is an attempt to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/my-old-teacher-s-definition-of-poetry-is-an-attempt-to-understand/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [I admired what my students were writing, but I think their improvement doesn't directly result from me but from being in a class, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-admired-what-my-students-were-writing-but-i-think-their-improvement/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [One joins the movement in a valueless world, Choosing it, till both hurler and the hurled, One moves as well, always toward, toward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/one-joins-the-movement-in-a-valueless-world-choosing-it-till-both/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [As humans we look at things and think about what we've looked at. We treasure it in a kind of private art gallery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/as-humans-we-look-at-things-and-think-about-what-we-ve-looked-at-we/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [I was at a benefit for some imprisoned students in the '60s at San Francisco State, and there were lots of poets reading for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-was-at-a-benefit-for-some-imprisoned-students-in-the-60s-at-san/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [There have been two popular subjects for poetry in the last few decades: the Vietnam War and AIDS, about both of which almost all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/there-have-been-two-popular-subjects-for-poetry-in-the-last-few/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [I deliberately wrote a poem in my last book where I was suggesting that there are other passions as great as or more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-deliberately-wrote-a-poem-in-my-last-book-where-i-was-suggesting/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [I was much influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-was-much-influenced-by-jean-paul-sartre/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [I don't think of sex as a self-destructive impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-don-t-think-of-sex-as-a-self-destructive-impulse/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [Ginsberg's Collected Poems contains a wonderful poem about making it with Neal Cassady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/ginsberg-s-collected-poems-contains-a-wonderful-poem-about-making-it/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

[Explore all 43 Thom Gunn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

## More Motion quotes

> [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/)

[John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/)

> [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [The same law takes place in a system, consisting of many bodies, as in one single body, with regard to their persevering in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/the-same-law-takes-place-in-a-system-consisting-of-many-bodies-as-in/)

[Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/)

> [The true end of Art is not to imitate a fixed material condition, but to represent a living motion,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-inness/the-true-end-of-art-is-not-to-imitate-a-fixed-material-condition-but/)

[George Inness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-inness/)

> [It is the Prana that is manifesting as motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/it-is-the-prana-that-is-manifesting-as-motion/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Eye's follow energy more than motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-henderson/eye-s-follow-energy-more-than-motion/)

Bradley Henderson

> [I guess bowling is pretty mechanical. It's kind of a natural motion, but you have to stick within those mechanics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/i-guess-bowling-is-pretty-mechanical-it-s-kind-of-a-natural-motion/)

[Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/)

> [“Gamboling is happiness in motion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jarvis-ellison/gamboling-is-happiness-in-motion/)

Joan Jarvis Ellison

> [You own a watch the invention of the mind, though for a single motion 'tis designed, as well as that which is with greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-blackmore/you-own-a-watch-the-invention-of-the-mind-though-for-a-single-motion/)

Richard Blackmore

> [Ordinary photons do have spin, they have a notion of helicity so they spin around their direction on motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/ordinary-photons-do-have-spin-they-have-a-notion-of-helicity-so-they/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [My role is to set everything in motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-rollins/my-role-is-to-set-everything-in-motion/)

[Jimmy Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-rollins/)

> [Even if you can't do a full real push-up, I'd rather have you do them with a limited range of motion and work up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/even-if-you-can-t-do-a-full-real-push-up-i-d-rather-have-you-do-them/)

[Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/)

> [“It’s the nature of human experience, which is always in some form of motion, to veer off course—sometimes in major, but consistently in minor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/it-s-the-nature-of-human-experience-which-is-always-in-some-form-of/)

[David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/)

> [A man of action is always in motion, changing, moving, failing, learning, shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/a-man-of-action-is-always-in-motion-changing-moving-failing-learning/)

[Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/)

> [“We can be sure that the fifth element (idea) was immaterial for Plato and Aristotle, who used the term aether. The fifth element (Latin:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/we-can-be-sure-that-the-fifth-element-idea-was-immaterial-for-plato/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

[Browse all 515 Motion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motion/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no absolute, in which to rest, One is always nearer by not keeping still.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thom Gunn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-reaching-no-absolute-in-which/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Motion"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-reaching-no-absolute-in-which/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/thom-gunn-15259_motion_at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-re_1036881.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/thom-gunn-15259_motion_at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-re_1036881.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94e/thom-gunn-15259_motion_at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-re_1036881.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no absolute, in which to rest, One is always nearer by not…” — Thom Gunn",
                "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": "Thom Gunn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“At worse, one is in motion;...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-reaching-no-absolute-in-which/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-reaching-no-absolute-in-which/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
