--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of the things you absorb you will…" description: "\"Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.\" — Tom Waits" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/tom-waits-916_absorb_most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-u_86844.jpg" --- # Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete. ![“Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.” quote by Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/tom-waits-916_absorb_most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-u_86844.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/tom-waits-916_absorb_most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-u_86844.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/tom-waits-916_absorb_most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-u_86844.jpg) > “Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.” [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. What we internalize eventually manifests outwardly, shaping our actions and expressions. **In simple terms:** Internal intake determines external output Key Takeaway Absorption leads to expression Themes psychology self‑awareness behavior creativity Mood introspective poetic Type aphorism philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - personal development - mental health counseling Key Concepts inner‑outer feedback loop Practical Applications - mind‑body workshops - creative expression therapy Questions to Reflect On - How does what we consume affect our behavior? - Can we control our output by curating input? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absorb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absorb/) [Absorb Ultimately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absorb-ultimately-1090709/) [Secrete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrete-758708/) [Things Absorb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-absorb-1090710/) [Ultimately Secrete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimately-secrete-1090708/) ## Related quotes > [The things you absorb you will ultimately secrete. It's all out there and available for you to enjoy...and be nourished by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete-it-s-all-out-there/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Desginer secrete :) xd hahahaaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/its-mee/desginer-secrete-xd-hahahaaa/) [Its Mee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/its-mee/) > [The chewing stick is e first element that can tell the secrete of the mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-chewing-stick-is-e-first-element-that-can-tell-the-secrete-of-the/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The secrete about me is that I don't seek attension but the attension seeks me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/the-secrete-about-me-is-that-i-don-t-seek-attension-but-the-attension/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [“…he was doing a breath hydrogen test. If you know the amount of hydrogen someone is exhaling orally, it's a simple matter to extrapolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/he-was-doing-a-breath-hydrogen-test-if-you-know-the-amount-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [We were interested in this notion of compression- a lot of the songs were really short so that you'd absorb them in memory rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arto-lindsay/we-were-interested-in-this-notion-of-compression-a-lot-of-the-songs/) [Arto Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arto-lindsay/) > [Technology teaches passivity. Absorbed in our devices - at any age - we are absorbed in someone else's perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/technology-teaches-passivity-absorbed-in-our-devices-at-any-age-we/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [We live with incessant music, all the time. It's like some weird musical purgatory, there is absolutely no rest for the ears, no space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blake/we-live-with-incessant-music-all-the-time-it-s-like-some-weird/) [James Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blake/) > [“Always read…always learn…always absorb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pia-leba-talmud/always-read-always-learn-always-absorb/) [Pia Leba Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pia-leba-talmud/) > [You absorb 2,000 years of history just by being near the Thames.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/you-absorb-2-000-years-of-history-just-by-being-near-the-thames/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [To Kiss : An attempt to absorb the essence of the other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-casanova/to-kiss-an-attempt-to-absorb-the-essence-of-the-other-person/) [Giacomo Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-casanova/) > [If you're very open to watching the world go by, with people's different tics, you absorb it all without realizing it and find ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/if-you-re-very-open-to-watching-the-world-go-by-with-people-s/) [Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/) [Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) ## More by Tom Waits > [Most of us have the residue of thousands of songs in our ears, that if you end up songwriting, I think you're mostly smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-us-have-the-residue-of-thousands-of-songs-in-our-ears-that-if/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Bill Hicks - blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer, and brain specialist. He will correct your vision. Others will drive on the road he built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/bill-hicks-blowtorch-excavator-truthsayer-and-brain-specialist-he/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Don't plant your days they turn into weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/don-t-plant-your-days-they-turn-into-weeds/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“T’ain’t no sin to take off your skin, and dance around in your bones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/t-ain-t-no-sin-to-take-off-your-skin-and-dance-around-in-your-bones/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“an all time favorite: "The large print giveth, the small print taketh away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/an-all-time-favorite-the-large-print-giveth-the-small-print-taketh/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-ll-tell-you-all-my-secrets-but-i-lie-about-my-past/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [For a songwriter, you don't really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/for-a-songwriter-you-don-t-really-go-to-songwriting-school-you-learn/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm trying to learn how to write faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-trying-to-learn-how-to-write-faster/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-world-is-a-hellish-place-and-bad-writing-is-destroying-the/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm always looking for sounds that are pleasing at the time. The sound of a helicopter is really annoying until you're drowning, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-always-looking-for-sounds-that-are-pleasing-at-the-time-the-sound/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-was-born-in-the-back-seat-of-a-yellow-cab-in-a-hospital-loading/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [There's not much difference between what I appear to be on stage and what I am. I think people like that, that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-not-much-difference-between-what-i-appear-to-be-on-stage-and/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-devil-knows-the-bible-like-the-back-of-his-hand/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-bark-my-voice-out-through-a-closed-throat-pretty-much-it-s-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [There's a beauty of show business. It's the only business you can have a career in when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-a-beauty-of-show-business-it-s-the-only-business-you-can-have/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) [Explore all 328 Tom Waits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## More Absorb quotes > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [We were interested in this notion of compression- a lot of the songs were really short so that you'd absorb them in memory rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arto-lindsay/we-were-interested-in-this-notion-of-compression-a-lot-of-the-songs/) [Arto Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arto-lindsay/) > [“Always read…always learn…always absorb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pia-leba-talmud/always-read-always-learn-always-absorb/) [Pia Leba Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pia-leba-talmud/) > [If you're very open to watching the world go by, with people's different tics, you absorb it all without realizing it and find ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/if-you-re-very-open-to-watching-the-world-go-by-with-people-s/) [Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/) > [“…he was doing a breath hydrogen test. If you know the amount of hydrogen someone is exhaling orally, it's a simple matter to extrapolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/he-was-doing-a-breath-hydrogen-test-if-you-know-the-amount-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/) [Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [To Kiss : An attempt to absorb the essence of the other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-casanova/to-kiss-an-attempt-to-absorb-the-essence-of-the-other-person/) [Giacomo Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-casanova/) > [You absorb 2,000 years of history just by being near the Thames.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/you-absorb-2-000-years-of-history-just-by-being-near-the-thames/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [We live with incessant music, all the time. It's like some weird musical purgatory, there is absolutely no rest for the ears, no space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-blake/we-live-with-incessant-music-all-the-time-it-s-like-some-weird/) [James Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-blake/) > [Technology teaches passivity. Absorbed in our devices - at any age - we are absorbed in someone else's perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/technology-teaches-passivity-absorbed-in-our-devices-at-any-age-we/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [A man, to read, must read alone. He may make extracts, he may work at books in company; but to read, to absorb, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jefferies/a-man-to-read-must-read-alone-he-may-make-extracts-he-may-work-at/) [Richard Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jefferies/) > [Console yourself, you're better alone destroy yourself, see who gives a fuck. Absorb yourself, you're better alone destroy yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamb-of-god/console-yourself-you-re-better-alone-destroy-yourself-see-who-gives-a/) [Lamb Of God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamb-of-god/) > [In '77 there was no Internet, there was no Twitter or Facebook, and I think that, without being some old git who hates anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jones/in-77-there-was-no-internet-there-was-no-twitter-or-facebook-and-i/) [Steve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jones/) > [Like all rice, black rice is great at absorbing flavours, but it's just as happy to act as a satiny bed for a poached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/like-all-rice-black-rice-is-great-at-absorbing-flavours-but-it-s-just/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) [Browse all 194 Absorb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absorb/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Waits" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absorb" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/tom-waits-916_absorb_most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-u_86844.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/tom-waits-916_absorb_most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-u_86844.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f82/tom-waits-916_absorb_most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-u_86844.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.” — Tom Waits", "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": "Tom Waits", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most of the things you absorb...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/#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 } } ] } ```