--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He saw time turn back upon itself, a…" description: "\"“He saw time turn back upon itself, a river flowing upward to the spring. He held the contemporaneity of two moments in his left and right hands; as he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/ursula-k-le-guin-138_flowing_he-saw-time-turn-back-upon-itself-a-rive_573000.jpg" --- # He saw time turn back upon itself, a river flowing upward… ![“He saw time turn back upon itself, a river flowing upward to the spring. He held the contemporaneity of two moments in his left and right hands; as he moved them apart he smiled to see the moments separate like dividing soap bubbles.” quote by Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/ursula-k-le-guin-138_flowing_he-saw-time-turn-back-upon-itself-a-rive_573000.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/ursula-k-le-guin-138_flowing_he-saw-time-turn-back-upon-itself-a-rive_573000.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/ursula-k-le-guin-138_flowing_he-saw-time-turn-back-upon-itself-a-rive_573000.jpg) > ““He saw time turn back upon itself, a river flowing upward to the spring. He held the contemporaneity of two moments in his left and right hands; as he moved them apart he smiled to see the moments separate like dividing soap bubbles.”” [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes holding two moments together, then separating them, illustrating how time can feel fluid and reversible in imagination. **In simple terms:** Time can be imagined as a river that can flow backward, separating moments like bubbles. Key Takeaway Embrace the wonder of seeing time as flexible. Themes imagination time perception Mood contemplative wonderful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - mindfulness practice - visual arts - science fiction storytelling Key Concepts philosophy literary metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does visualizing time differently affect your decisions? - Can you hold multiple perspectives simultaneously? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify the linear nature of physical time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apart Smiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apart-smiled-4724935/) [Flowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowing/) [Flowing Upward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowing-upward-4724934/) [Left and right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-and-right/) [Moments Separate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments-separate-4724933/) [Right hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-hand/) [River Flowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river-flowing-364798/) [Soap bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soap-bubbles/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When we talk of leaving our childhood behind us, we might as well say that the river flowing onward to the sea had left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/when-we-talk-of-leaving-our-childhood-behind-us-we-might-as-well-say/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [If you look at the ox-herding pictures - specifically the newer set of ten pictures rather than the older set of eight - you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/if-you-look-at-the-ox-herding-pictures-specifically-the-newer-set-of/) [Quentin S. 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Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-f-cleary/) [Browse all 175 Flowing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He saw time turn back upon itself, a river flowing upward to the spring. He held the contemporaneity of two moments in his left and right hands; as he moved them apart he smiled to see the moments separate like dividing soap bubbles.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ursula K. 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