--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I stood up. Can a man stand alone, naked…" description: "\"“I stood up. Can a man stand alone, naked, and at his ease, wrist flexed at his side like Michelangelo's David, without assistance, without diversion, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/walker-percy-1958_silence_i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-a_2932496.png" --- # I stood up. Can a man stand alone, naked, and at his ease… ![“I stood up. Can a man stand alone, naked, and at his ease, wrist flexed at his side like Michelangelo's David, without assistance, without diversion, without drink, without friends, without a woman, in silence? Yes. It was possible to stand. Nothing happened. I listened. There was no sound: no…” quote by Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/walker-percy-1958_silence_i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-a_2932496.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/walker-percy-1958_silence_i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-a_2932496.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/walker-percy-1958_silence_i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-a_2932496.png) > ““I stood up. Can a man stand alone, naked, and at his ease, wrist flexed at his side like Michelangelo's David, without assistance, without diversion, without drink, without friends, without a woman, in silence? Yes. It was possible to stand. Nothing happened. I listened. There was no sound: no boats on the river, no trucks on the road, not even cicadas. What if I didn't listen to the news? I didn't. Nothing happened. I realized I had been afraid of silence.”” [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man discovers that confronting silence without distractions reveals inner peace and the courage to face fear. **In simple terms:** Silence shows inner peace. Key Takeaway Embrace quiet, listen to yourself. Themes solitude self‑discovery fear mindfulness Mood contemplative calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - walking alone - digital detox - journaling - therapy Key Concepts existentialism psychology catharsis Questions to Reflect On - What fears arise when you sit in silence? - How can you use silence to reset? A Different Perspective Silence can also amplify anxiety for some people. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-silence-509272/) [Didn Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-listen/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Stand alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-alone/) [Stand Naked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-naked-1539006/) [Stood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stood/) [Without friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without-friends/) ## Related quotes > [We've stood by who we are and we didn't listen to anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-flint/we-ve-stood-by-who-we-are-and-we-didn-t-listen-to-anyone-else/) [Keith Flint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-flint/) > [You do stand alone sometimes. But my mother stood by me through all this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-dees/you-do-stand-alone-sometimes-but-my-mother-stood-by-me-through-all/) [Morris Dees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-dees/) > [I stand alone...for those that stood before me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-stand-alone-for-those-that-stood-before-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sometimes I ask myself, "Do I have the courage to do the right thing when it matters most?" And that answer, I'm afraid, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/sometimes-i-ask-myself-do-i-have-the-courage-to-do-the-right-thing/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I'm not afraid of silence. You know, I'm not afraid to sit in a room and have the conversation drop into silence. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-m-not-afraid-of-silence-you-know-i-m-not-afraid-to-sit-in-a-room/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“I am afraid of silence. Silence creates a pathway to peace through pain, the pain of a distracted and frantic mind before it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams-when-women-were-birds-fifty-four-variations-on-voice/i-am-afraid-of-silence-silence-creates-a-pathway-to-peace-through/) [Terry Tempest Williams When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams-when-women-were-birds-fifty-four-variations-on-voice/) > [We live in such a noisy world that many of us have come to be afraid of silence. We think that if only we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-mary-francis/we-live-in-such-a-noisy-world-that-many-of-us-have-come-to-be-afraid/) [Mother Mary Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-mary-francis/) > [“Silence embeds thoughts better than speeches. If you are afraid of silence, you are afraid of your thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rossana-condoleo/silence-embeds-thoughts-better-than-speeches-if-you-are-afraid-of/) [Rossana Condoleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rossana-condoleo/) > [Most of the time, people are afraid of silence, and I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/most-of-the-time-people-are-afraid-of-silence-and-i-m-not/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [We are so afraid of silence that we chase ourselves from one event to the next in order not to have to spend a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-are-so-afraid-of-silence-that-we-chase-ourselves-from-one-event-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I'm not afraid of the darkness or night. I'm afraid of the silence-where there is nothing to hide me from my own screamin' thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-afraid-of-the-darkness-or-night-i-m-afraid-of-the-silence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [most people are perfectly afraid of silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-are-perfectly-afraid-of-silence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm afraid of silence, because it screams the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denicia-provencio/i-m-afraid-of-silence-because-it-screams-the-truth/) [Denicia Provencio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denicia-provencio/) > [It's very important in life to know when to shut up. You should not be afraid of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/it-s-very-important-in-life-to-know-when-to-shut-up-you-should-not-be/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [“Why are we afraid of the silence that ensues after our death? Wasn’t it the same silence we endured before birth? Isn’t it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/why-are-we-afraid-of-the-silence-that-ensues-after-our-death-wasn-t/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) ## More by Walker Percy > [“Do you know what he told me after lying under a cliff for thirty six hours with two inches of his femur sticking out?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/do-you-know-what-he-told-me-after-lying-under-a-cliff-for-thirty-six/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [Americans are the nicest, most generous, and sentimental people on earth. Yet Americans have killed more unborn children than any nation in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/americans-are-the-nicest-most-generous-and-sentimental-people-on/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“The real wonder is not that the Cosmos is now seen as wonderful but that it is not. Despite its inconceivable vastness, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/the-real-wonder-is-not-that-the-cosmos-is-now-seen-as-wonderful-but/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“Ours is the only civilization in history which has enshrined mediocrity as its national ideal. Others have been corrupt, but leave it to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/ours-is-the-only-civilization-in-history-which-has-enshrined/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [ \[In art\] you are telling the reader or the listener or the viewer something he already knows but which he doesn't quite know that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/in-art-you-are-telling-the-reader-or-the-listener-or-the-viewer/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“People usually told him the same joke two or three times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/people-usually-told-him-the-same-joke-two-or-three-times/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [For the world is broken, sundered, busted down the middle, self ripped from self and man pasted back together as mythical monster, half angel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/for-the-world-is-broken-sundered-busted-down-the-middle-self-ripped/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [Nobody but a Southerner knows the wrenching rinsing sadness of the cities of the North.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/nobody-but-a-southerner-knows-the-wrenching-rinsing-sadness-of-the/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“For me, all signifiers fit me, one as well as another. I am rascal, hero, craven, brave, treacherous, loyal, at once the secret hero…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/for-me-all-signifiers-fit-me-one-as-well-as-another-i-am-rascal-hero/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“But the expectation of the self, to be informed in its nothingness--if only I can get out of this old place and into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/but-the-expectation-of-the-self-to-be-informed-in-its-nothingness-if/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [Nothing remains but desire, and desire comes howling down Elysian Fields like a mistral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/nothing-remains-but-desire-and-desire-comes-howling-down-elysian/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“A variant of the amnesic-plot device is the inadvertent return of the amnesiac to home territory, where he is welcomed by a lovely woman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/a-variant-of-the-amnesic-plot-device-is-the-inadvertent-return-of-the/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [A novel is what you call something that won't sell if you call it poems or short stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/a-novel-is-what-you-call-something-that-won-t-sell-if-you-call-it/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life. To become aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/the-search-is-what-anyone-would-undertake-if-he-were-not-sunk-in-the/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“Am I, in my search, a hundred miles ahead of my fellow Americans or a hundred miles behind them? That is to say: Have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/am-i-in-my-search-a-hundred-miles-ahead-of-my-fellow-americans-or-a/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) [Explore all 194 Walker Percy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) ## More Silence quotes > [Let us have the luxury of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/let-us-have-the-luxury-of-silence/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [I just can’t, Nick, okay? Now, please give me a second to lie here in silence and bleed.” – Caleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-just-can-t-nick-okay-now-please-give-me-a-second-to-lie-here-in/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“SILENT LIKE SLEEP You appear by my side, silent like sleep. Soft hair, a little wild. No fear, gentle like a calm river. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/silent-like-sleep-you-appear-by-my-side-silent-like-sleep-soft-hair-a/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [“A word is not filling in the gaps, but the fertilization of silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/a-word-is-not-filling-in-the-gaps-but-the-fertilization-of-silence/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“I’m not like her. I don’t steal people.” Mr. Tibbalt watched her, saying nothing. The silence made Victoria bristle. “Well, I don’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-legrand/i-m-not-like-her-i-don-t-steal-people-mr-tibbalt-watched-her-saying/) [Claire Legrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-legrand/) > [Silence can be the world's strongest weapon in torturing people's emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/silence-can-be-the-world-s-strongest-weapon-in-torturing-people-s/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“When all are one sentience, Language withers and fades away. Let's sit together and speak in silence, Let's be light to each other's way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/when-all-are-one-sentience-language-withers-and-fades-away-let-s-sit/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [True friendship is sitting together in silence and feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-friendship-is-sitting-together-in-silence-and-feeling-like-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So what did God say to me in the silence that morning? I’m not sure, but I think God said something like, Don’t try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/so-what-did-god-say-to-me-in-the-silence-that-morning-i-m-not-sure/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [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/) > [I suppose he'll just have to do," she amended. "You'll have to suffer in silence with your male model...I feel for you." "Oh, stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/i-suppose-he-ll-just-have-to-do-she-amended-you-ll-have-to-suffer-in/) [Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/) > [The silent majority is silent, and that is best for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-kocher/the-silent-majority-is-silent-and-that-is-best-for-everybody/) [Gerhard Kocher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-kocher/) > [“I once asked you what anxiety felt like, and you told me that most days left you riddled with bullet holes. Every morning came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-s/i-once-asked-you-what-anxiety-felt-like-and-you-told-me-that-most/) [d.a.s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-s/) [Browse all 8,731 Silence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I stood up. Can a man stand alone, naked, and at his ease, wrist flexed at his side like Michelangelo's David, without assistance, without diversion, without drink, without friends, without a woman, in silence? Yes. It was possible to stand. Nothing happened. I listened. There was no sound: no boats on the river, no trucks on the road, not even cicadas. What if I didn't listen to the news? I didn't. Nothing happened. I realized I had been afraid of silence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walker Percy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-and-at-his-ease-wrist-flexed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Silence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-and-at-his-ease-wrist-flexed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/walker-percy-1958_silence_i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-a_2932496.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/walker-percy-1958_silence_i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-a_2932496.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/walker-percy-1958_silence_i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-a_2932496.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I stood up. Can a man stand alone, naked, and at his ease, wrist flexed at his side like Michelangelo's…” — Walker Percy", "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": "Walker Percy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I stood up. Can a man...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-and-at-his-ease-wrist-flexed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/i-stood-up-can-a-man-stand-alone-naked-and-at-his-ease-wrist-flexed/#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 } } ] } ```