--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are possessed by an idea, you find…" description: "\"If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed everywhere, you even smell it.\" — Thomas Mann" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/thomas-mann-1103_possessed_if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find_2676905.jpg" --- # If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed… ![“If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed everywhere, you even smell it.” quote by Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/thomas-mann-1103_possessed_if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find_2676905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/thomas-mann-1103_possessed_if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find_2676905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/thomas-mann-1103_possessed_if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find_2676905.jpg) > “If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed everywhere, you even smell it.” [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An obsession with an idea makes it appear everywhere, even in sensory perception, showing how thoughts dominate experience. **In simple terms:** Idea obsessions color perception. Key Takeaway Recognize and question obsessive thoughts. Themes obsession perception ideas Mood introspective analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - creative work - academic research - personal rumination Key Concepts cognitive bias mindfulness psychology Questions to Reflect On - What ideas dominate your daily awareness? - How can you notice when they’re over‑present? A Different Perspective Obsessions can distort reality, not just highlight it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ## Related quotes > [A person possessed with an idea cannot be reasoned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/a-person-possessed-with-an-idea-cannot-be-reasoned-with/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [The first - the most obvious test of a true social entrepreneur - is are they possessed, really possessed by an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/the-first-the-most-obvious-test-of-a-true-social-entrepreneur-is-are/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [There is literally no such thing as an idea that cannot be expressed well and articulately to today's voters in thirty seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-morris/there-is-literally-no-such-thing-as-an-idea-that-cannot-be-expressed/) [Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-morris/) > [The artist should have a powerful will. He should be powerfully possessed by one idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-artist-should-have-a-powerful-will-he-should-be-powerfully/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [We do not possess an 'ego.' We are possessed by the idea of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wei-wu-wei/we-do-not-possess-an-ego-we-are-possessed-by-the-idea-of-one/) [Wei Wu Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wei-wu-wei/) > [“The first - the most obvious (test of a true social entrepreneur) - is are they possessed, really possessed by an idea... The idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/the-first-the-most-obvious-test-of-a-true-social-entrepreneur-is-are-2/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [“I was suddenly possessed with the idea that the blind, blank back of his head really was his face—an awful, eyeless face staring at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton-2/i-was-suddenly-possessed-with-the-idea-that-the-blind-blank-back-of/) [G. K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton-2/) > [We cannot see anything until we are possessed with the idea of it, take it into our heads,--and then we can hardly see anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-cannot-see-anything-until-we-are-possessed-with-the-idea-of-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [The enmity of such a party towards Socialism does not mean that the members are only prejudiced against it because they do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-radek/the-enmity-of-such-a-party-towards-socialism-does-not-mean-that-the/) [Karl Radek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-radek/) > [There is an indefinable quality possessed by some artists. You simply can't explain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/there-is-an-indefinable-quality-possessed-by-some-artists-you-simply/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [The masses are still ungrateful or ignorant. They prefer murder, poisonings, and crimes generally to a literature possessed of style and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/the-masses-are-still-ungrateful-or-ignorant-they-prefer-murder/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. 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But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“Solitude favors the original, the daringly and otherworldly beautiful, the poem. But it also favors the wrongful, the extreme, the absurd, and the forbidden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-favors-the-original-the-daringly-and-otherworldly-beautiful/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“But what would be our readers’ reaction if we simply refused to get to the bottom of that question?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/but-what-would-be-our-readers-reaction-if-we-simply-refused-to-get-to/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [What good would politics be, if it didn’t give everyone the opportunity to make moral compromises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/what-good-would-politics-be-if-it-didn-t-give-everyone-the/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“O, čarobna organsko lepoto, koja se ne sastojiš ni iz uljane boje ni iz kamena, već iz materije žive i raspadljive, pune grozničave tajne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/o-arobna-organsko-lepoto-koja-se-ne-sastoji-ni-iz-uljane-boje-ni-iz/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [Opinions cannot survive if one has no chance to fight for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/opinions-cannot-survive-if-one-has-no-chance-to-fight-for-them/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“I hope that you have nothing against malice, my good engineer. In my eyes it is the brightest sword that reason has against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/i-hope-that-you-have-nothing-against-malice-my-good-engineer-in-my/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“...only the exhaustive can be truly interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/only-the-exhaustive-can-be-truly-interesting/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“The days began to fly now, and yet each one of them was stretched by renewed expectations and swollen with silent, private experiences. 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Our consciousness is feeble; only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/one-always-needs-to-be-reminded-one-is-by-no-means-always-in/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [Everything is politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/everything-is-politics/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [Is not life in itself a thing of goodness, irrespective of whether the course it takes for us can be called a 'happy' one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/is-not-life-in-itself-a-thing-of-goodness-irrespective-of-whether-the/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Explore all 239 Thomas Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) ## More Possessed quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) Fernando Bujones > [The masses are still ungrateful or ignorant. They prefer murder, poisonings, and crimes generally to a literature possessed of style and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/the-masses-are-still-ungrateful-or-ignorant-they-prefer-murder/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [There is an indefinable quality possessed by some artists. You simply can't explain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/there-is-an-indefinable-quality-possessed-by-some-artists-you-simply/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [The enmity of such a party towards Socialism does not mean that the members are only prejudiced against it because they do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-radek/the-enmity-of-such-a-party-towards-socialism-does-not-mean-that-the/) [Karl Radek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-radek/) > [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [I knew neither jealousy nor hate but was possessed by a rage to recreate a new world, the world which my eyes perceived, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-vlaminck/i-knew-neither-jealousy-nor-hate-but-was-possessed-by-a-rage-to/) [Maurice de Vlaminck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-vlaminck/) > [We may... affirm that the balance of power in a society accompanies the balance of property in land. The only possible way, then, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/we-may-affirm-that-the-balance-of-power-in-a-society-accompanies-the/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [“He had thought that home was something one possessed, but the things one had possessed were cursed with change; it was what one didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/he-had-thought-that-home-was-something-one-possessed-but-the-things/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Possession without obligation to the object possessed approaches felicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/possession-without-obligation-to-the-object-possessed-approaches/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [Songwriting is about getting the demon out of me. It's like being possessed. You try to go to sleep, but the song won't let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/songwriting-is-about-getting-the-demon-out-of-me-it-s-like-being/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [“The way my imagination was running I’d be thinking I was possessed by everyone in hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/the-way-my-imagination-was-running-i-d-be-thinking-i-was-possessed-by/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“We all possess, like it or not, the people we know, and are possessed by them in turn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/we-all-possess-like-it-or-not-the-people-we-know-and-are-possessed-by/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [Photographs objectify: they turn an event or a person into something that can be possessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/photographs-objectify-they-turn-an-event-or-a-person-into-something/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) Browse all 679 Possessed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed everywhere, you even smell it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Mann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find-it-expressed-everywhere-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Possessed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find-it-expressed-everywhere-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/thomas-mann-1103_possessed_if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find_2676905.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/thomas-mann-1103_possessed_if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find_2676905.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/893/thomas-mann-1103_possessed_if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find_2676905.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are possessed by an idea, you find it expressed everywhere, you even smell it.” — Thomas Mann", "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": "Thomas Mann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you are possessed by an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find-it-expressed-everywhere-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/if-you-are-possessed-by-an-idea-you-find-it-expressed-everywhere-you/#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 } } ] } ```