---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything is strange. Things are huge…"
description: "\"“Everything is strange. Things are huge and very small. The stalks of flowers are thick as oak trees. Leaves are high as the domes of vast cathedrals. ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/virginia-woolf-49_gardening_everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-an_415561.jpg"
---

#  Everything is strange. Things are huge and very small. The…

![“Everything is strange. Things are huge and very small. The stalks of flowers are thick as oak trees. Leaves are high as the domes of vast cathedrals. We are giants, lying here, who can make forests quiver.” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/virginia-woolf-49_gardening_everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-an_415561.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/virginia-woolf-49_gardening_everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-an_415561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/virginia-woolf-49_gardening_everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-an_415561.jpg)

> ““Everything is strange. Things are huge and very small. The stalks of flowers are thick as oak trees. Leaves are high as the domes of vast cathedrals. We are giants, lying here, who can make forests quiver.””

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote highlights how perspective shifts can make ordinary objects seem extraordinary, revealing the awe in everyday details.

**In simple terms:** Perspective makes the ordinary seem extraordinary.

Key Takeaway

Shift your view to notice wonder.

Themes

perception wonder scale

Mood

reflective curious

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- nature walks
- art observation
- mindful living
- creative writing

Key Concepts

relativism aesthetic appreciation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does changing perspective alter your experience?
- What everyday details can you see anew?

A Different Perspective

It may romanticize nature, overlooking practical concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cathedrals Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedrals-giants-3696022/) [Forests Quiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests-quiver-3696021/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-things/) [Things Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-huge-2197934/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/)

## Related quotes

> [Why shouldn't we, so generally addicted to the gigantic, at last have some small works of art, some short poems, short pieces of music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/why-shouldn-t-we-so-generally-addicted-to-the-gigantic-at-last-have/)

[Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/)

> [A strange thing has happened - while all the other arts were born naked, this, the youngest, has been born fully-clothed. It can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-strange-thing-has-happened-while-all-the-other-arts-were-born-naked/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“But words have been used too often; touched and turned, and left exposed to the dust of the street. The words we seek hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/but-words-have-been-used-too-often-touched-and-turned-and-left/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [The flower bloomed and faded. The sun rose and sank. The lover loved and went. And what the poets said in rhyme, the young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-flower-bloomed-and-faded-the-sun-rose-and-sank-the-lover-loved/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“The plants in the garden - the aloes, the almond tree, the rose tree and the iris - were afraid of her. The flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-cramer/the-plants-in-the-garden-the-aloes-the-almond-tree-the-rose-tree-and/)

[Hendrik Cramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-cramer/)

> [“You are no ruin sir--no lighting-struck tree: you are green and vigorous. Plants will grow about your roots, whether you ask them or not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-are-no-ruin-sir-no-lighting-struck-tree-you-are-green-and/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/society-grows-great-when-old-men-plant-trees-whose-shade-they-know/)

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

> [“So he raced from dogwood to blossoming peach. When they thinned out he headed for the cherry blossoms, then magnolia, chinaberry, pecan, walnut and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/so-he-raced-from-dogwood-to-blossoming-peach-when-they-thinned-out-he/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Of all trees, I observe God hath chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/of-all-trees-i-observe-god-hath-chosen-the-vine-a-low-plant-that/)

[Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/)

> [“In the symbiotic community of the forest, not only trees but also shrubs and grasses—and possibly all plant species—exchange information this way. However, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wohlleben/in-the-symbiotic-community-of-the-forest-not-only-trees-but-also/)

[Peter Wohlleben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wohlleben/)

> [“You make springs gush forth in the valleys;         they flow between the hills;     11 they give drink to every beast of the field;         the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-make-springs-gush-forth-in-the-valleys-they-flow-between-the/)

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

> [Plant trees. They give us two of the most crucial elements for our survival: oxygen and books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/plant-trees-they-give-us-two-of-the-most-crucial-elements-for-our/)

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

> [“All at once the hard, cold earth seemed to explode. The brown surface of the world dissolved and in its place was an impossible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/all-at-once-the-hard-cold-earth-seemed-to-explode-the-brown-surface/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [All finite things reveal infinitude: The mountain with its singular bright shade Like the blue shine on freshly frozen snow, The after-light upon ice-burdened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/all-finite-things-reveal-infinitude-the-mountain-with-its-singular/)

[Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/)

> [“I watched that plant in the office every day. Watered it; misted it. I loved thinking about it like G.T. said, but part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bauer/i-watched-that-plant-in-the-office-every-day-watered-it-misted-it-i/)

[Joan Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bauer/)

## More by Virginia Woolf

> [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. On one side all is correct, definite, orderly; the paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/across-the-broad-continent-of-a-woman-s-life-falls-the-shadow-of-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Love ought to stop on both sides, don’t you think, simultaneously?’ He spoke without any stress on the words, so as not to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/love-ought-to-stop-on-both-sides-don-t-you-think-simultaneously-he/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“It is so vast an alleviation to be able to point for another to look at. And then not to talk. To follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-is-so-vast-an-alleviation-to-be-able-to-point-for-another-to-look/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here &amp; read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

[Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## More Gardening quotes

> [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/)

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/)

[Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/)

> [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/)

[Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/)

> [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/)

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

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [There was a product on late night TV that you could attach to your garden hose - "You can water your hard-to-reach plants with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/there-was-a-product-on-late-night-tv-that-you-could-attach-to-your/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/love-and-work-are-to-people-what-water-and-sunshine-are-to-plants/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [“A flower needs the rain to grow just as much as it needs the sunshine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-mummert/a-flower-needs-the-rain-to-grow-just-as-much-as-it-needs-the-sunshine/)

[Teresa Mummert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-mummert/)

> [“Mr. Grote shows me how he grows wild rice in the stream and collects the seeds. The rice is nutty and brown. He plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-grote-shows-me-how-he-grows-wild-rice-in-the-stream-and-collects/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [I must hurry back to my house and my flowers in Monaco.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillie-langtry/i-must-hurry-back-to-my-house-and-my-flowers-in-monaco/)

[Lillie Langtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillie-langtry/)

> [“Look for light Listen for inspiration on the wind Let water cleanse your soul Set yourself on a firm foundation Serve as the plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anasazi-foundation/look-for-light-listen-for-inspiration-on-the-wind-let-water-cleanse/)

[Anasazi Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anasazi-foundation/)

[Browse all 5,790 Gardening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Everything is strange. Things are huge and very small. The stalks of flowers are thick as oak trees. Leaves are high as the domes of vast cathedrals. We are giants, lying here, who can make forests quiver.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Virginia Woolf"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-and-very-small-the-stalks-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Gardening"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-and-very-small-the-stalks-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/virginia-woolf-49_gardening_everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-an_415561.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/virginia-woolf-49_gardening_everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-an_415561.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/180/virginia-woolf-49_gardening_everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-an_415561.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Everything is strange. Things are huge and very small. The stalks of flowers are thick as oak trees. Leaves…” — Virginia Woolf",
                "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": "Virginia Woolf",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Everything is strange. Things are huge...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-and-very-small-the-stalks-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/everything-is-strange-things-are-huge-and-very-small-the-stalks-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
