--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we are alone on a starlit night…" description: "\"When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/thomas-merton-231_autumn_when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-whe_1259686.jpg" --- # When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we… ![“When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children.” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/thomas-merton-231_autumn_when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-whe_1259686.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/thomas-merton-231_autumn_when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-whe_1259686.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/thomas-merton-231_autumn_when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-whe_1259686.jpg) > “When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights moments of natural beauty and childlike wonder that reveal deeper meaning. **In simple terms:** Find awe in nature and childhood. Key Takeaway Seek simple, transcendent experiences. Themes nature wonder childhood spirituality Mood contemplative serene Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - hiking - birdwatching - family outings - meditation sessions Key Concepts transcendence mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What daily practices can capture this wonder? - How does nature influence your sense of peace? A Different Perspective Such moments are fleeting and may be idealized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) [Awakened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakened/) [Awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Birds Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birds-autumn-3999838/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Descending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/descending/) [Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grove/) [Migrating Birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migrating-birds-3999839/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Newness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newness/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Starlit Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starlit-night-2622688/) ## Related quotes > [When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-when-by-chance-we-see-the-2/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Most of the birds of the Old World can be found here, as Oman is on a strategic route for migrating birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/most-of-the-birds-of-the-old-world-can-be-found-here-as-oman-is-on-a/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [“It was a moonless night, although the cloudless sky was ablaze with stars. Whatever the circumstances, she always found the starlit night sky profoundly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-mccluskey/it-was-a-moonless-night-although-the-cloudless-sky-was-ablaze-with/) [Alan McCluskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-mccluskey/) > [Who among us has never looked up into the heavens on a starlit night, lost in wonder at the vastness of space and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/who-among-us-has-never-looked-up-into-the-heavens-on-a-starlit-night/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [There is in us an instinct for newness, for renewal, for a liberation of creative power. We seek to awaken in ourselves a force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/there-is-in-us-an-instinct-for-newness-for-renewal-for-a-liberation/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I have watched this famous island descending incontinently, fecklessly, the stairway which lead to a dark gulf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-have-watched-this-famous-island-descending-incontinently-fecklessly/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [...most of the press were vultures descending on the scene for curious America aplomb. Cameras inside the coffin interviewing worms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/most-of-the-press-were-vultures-descending-on-the-scene-for-curious/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [This is what our yoga practice is trying to accomplish. Not white light descending from heaven and engulfing you, not energy released from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/this-is-what-our-yoga-practice-is-trying-to-accomplish-not-white/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [And violence is impractical, because the old eye for an eye philosophy ends up leaving everybody blind .. It is immoral because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/and-violence-is-impractical-because-the-old-eye-for-an-eye-philosophy/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Fundamentalists believe that we don't believe in anything. In their view of the world, they are in possession of absolute certainties, while we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/fundamentalists-believe-that-we-don-t-believe-in-anything-in-their/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“You realize the speed at which you are going to move while ascending. You can reckon the speed at which you were going while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neelam-saxena-chandra/you-realize-the-speed-at-which-you-are-going-to-move-while-ascending/) [Neelam Saxena Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neelam-saxena-chandra/) > [My left descending septal branch artery decided to close without consultation with any of my other organs. It happened on Saint Patrick's Day, 1978.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/my-left-descending-septal-branch-artery-decided-to-close-without/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As far as income goes, there are three currencies in the world; most people ignore two. The three currencies are time, income and mobility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/as-far-as-income-goes-there-are-three-currencies-in-the-world-most/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Thomas Merton > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. For when our hope is pure, it no longer trusts exclusively in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-are-not-perfectly-free-until-we-live-in-pure-hope-for-when-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Peace cannot be built on exclusivism, absolutism, and intolerance. But neither can it be built on vague liberal slogans and pious programs gestated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/peace-cannot-be-built-on-exclusivism-absolutism-and-intolerance-but/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Love winter when the plant says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-winter-when-the-plant-says-nothing/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“The wisdom of the flesh is a judgement that the ordinary ends of our natural appetites are the goods to which the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-wisdom-of-the-flesh-is-a-judgement-that-the-ordinary-ends-of-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I will no longer wound myself with the thoughts and questions that have surrounded me like thorns: that is a penance You do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-will-no-longer-wound-myself-with-the-thoughts-and-questions-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-write-for-god-you-will-reach-many-men-and-bring-them-joy-if/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Contemplation means rest, suspension of activity, withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/contemplation-means-rest-suspension-of-activity-withdrawal-into-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) [Explore all 851 Thomas Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More Autumn quotes > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [The American spring is by no means so agreeable as the American autumn; both move with faltering step, and slow; but this lingering pace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-american-spring-is-by-no-means-so-agreeable-as-the-american/) [Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/) > [“Flowers that had bloomed brilliant from spring through autumn blackened under the killing frost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/flowers-that-had-bloomed-brilliant-from-spring-through-autumn/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“FALL I've never liked orange not even a hint of yellow though that doesn't mean I'm derange, you know. but it's still a riddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kynna-claire/fall-i-ve-never-liked-orange-not-even-a-hint-of-yellow-though-that/) [Kynna Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kynna-claire/) > [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/) [Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/) > [The measured blood beats out the year's delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/the-measured-blood-beats-out-the-year-s-delay/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-crickets-felt-it-was-their-duty-to-warn-everybody-that-summertime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-found-himself-wondering-at-times-especially-in-the-autumn-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Easter blessings All life’s sacrifices like autumn leaves awaken our senses and power to love and be whole Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/easter-blessings-all-life-s-sacrifices-like-autumn-leaves-awaken-our/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [The lush green of the fields became a rich gold that swayed sturdily under the wind and fell at last before the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ostenso/the-lush-green-of-the-fields-became-a-rich-gold-that-swayed-sturdily/) [Martha Ostenso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ostenso/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) > [“Autumn eats its leaf out of my hand: we are friends. From the nuts we shell time and we teach it to walk: then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/autumn-eats-its-leaf-out-of-my-hand-we-are-friends-from-the-nuts-we/) [Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/) > [While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/while-cares-will-drop-off-like-autumn-leaves/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [We must learn to do economic work from all who know how, no matter who they are. We must esteem them as teachers, learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/we-must-learn-to-do-economic-work-from-all-who-know-how-no-matter-who/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) [Browse all 1,210 Autumn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-when-by-chance-we-see-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autumn" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-when-by-chance-we-see-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/thomas-merton-231_autumn_when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-whe_1259686.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/thomas-merton-231_autumn_when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-whe_1259686.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67f/thomas-merton-231_autumn_when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-whe_1259686.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a…” — Thomas Merton", "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 Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When we are alone on a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-when-by-chance-we-see-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/when-we-are-alone-on-a-starlit-night-when-by-chance-we-see-the/#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 } } ] } ```