---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mind that comes to rest is tended In…"
description: "\"“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.”\" — Wendell B..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/wendell-berry-236_mind_the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in_2921576.jpg"
---

#  The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it…

![“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/wendell-berry-236_mind_the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in_2921576.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/wendell-berry-236_mind_the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in_2921576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/wendell-berry-236_mind_the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in_2921576.jpg)

> ““The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.””

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## About This Quote

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

The mind seeks rest but is drawn to unintended paths, grasping what it cannot fully understand.

**In simple terms:** Resting mind drifts to things it can't grasp.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty and avoid over‑analysis.

Themes

mindfulness uncertainty intention

Mood

contemplative thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- creative writing
- problem solving
- stress management

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology consciousness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize when you’re over‑thinking?
- What practices help you stay present?

A Different Perspective

Rest may bring hidden anxieties.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comes Rest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-rest-393592/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Preserved Comprehended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserved-comprehended-4260502/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest/) [Rest Tended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-tended-393591/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/)

## Related quotes

> [“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Know that there's no rest in this world. Rest only comes in the Hereafter and how you rest will depend on how hard you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mufti-ismail-menk/know-that-there-s-no-rest-in-this-world-rest-only-comes-in-the/)

[Mufti Ismail Menk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mufti-ismail-menk/)

> [“And having returned from the woods, we remember with regret its restfulness. For all creatures there are in place, hence at rest. In their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/and-having-returned-from-the-woods-we-remember-with-regret-its/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [For me being depressed means you can spend all day in bed, and still not get a good night's rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-guest/for-me-being-depressed-means-you-can-spend-all-day-in-bed-and-still/)

[Judith Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-guest/)

> [And the rest is rust and stardust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/and-the-rest-is-rust-and-stardust/)

[Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/)

> [Rest strengthens the body, the mind too is thus supported; but unremitting toil destroys both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/rest-strengthens-the-body-the-mind-too-is-thus-supported-but/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [“O God, who is ever at work and ever at rest. May I be ever at work and ever at rest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/o-god-who-is-ever-at-work-and-ever-at-rest-may-i-be-ever-at-work-and/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [If I rest, if I think inward, I go mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/if-i-rest-if-i-think-inward-i-go-mad/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [Give it your best, you don't have to be like the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/god/give-it-your-best-you-don-t-have-to-be-like-the-rest/)

[God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/god/)

> [If you have to, take a break, go to your corner, get some sleep, but don't ever give up. You will get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-cunningham/if-you-have-to-take-a-break-go-to-your-corner-get-some-sleep-but-don/)

[Colin Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-cunningham/)

> [“I have this halfway place, a rest stop on the road to sleep, where I can stay for hours. I don't even need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-this-halfway-place-a-rest-stop-on-the-road-to-sleep-where-i/)

[Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/)

> [“My parents took us to dinner but we came back early. Tomorrow was to be a day of days and we must get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-otis-skinner/my-parents-took-us-to-dinner-but-we-came-back-early-tomorrow-was-to/)

[Cornelia Otis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-otis-skinner/)

> [“I am at rest and remaining.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-am-at-rest-and-remaining/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [In work we act under the predominant motive of external, rational necessities; in pleasure, under the predominant motive of other, equally general necessities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolay-chernyshevsky/in-work-we-act-under-the-predominant-motive-of-external-rational/)

[Nikolay Chernyshevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolay-chernyshevsky/)

## More by Wendell Berry

> [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. My grandfather made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-two-families-sundered-in-the-ruin-of-a-friendship-were-united/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“I knew a man who, in the age of chain-saws, went right on cutting his wood with a handsaw and an axe. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-knew-a-man-who-in-the-age-of-chain-saws-went-right-on-cutting-his/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The concept of country, homeland, dwelling place becomes simplified as "the environment" -- that is, what surrounds us, we have already made a profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-concept-of-country-homeland-dwelling-place-becomes-simplified-as/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“That we can prescribe the terms of our own success, that we can live outside or in ignorance of the Great Economy are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/that-we-can-prescribe-the-terms-of-our-own-success-that-we-can-live/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-dislike-the-thought-that-some-animal-has-been-made-miserable-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/laughter-is-immeasurable-be-joyful/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/these-are-people-who-are-capable-of-devotion-public-devotion-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

[Explore all 847 Wendell Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## More Mind quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [“MIND &amp; GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/)

[Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/)

> [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/)

[Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/)

> [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/)

[Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/)

> [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/)

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

> [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. I think every Christian needs to make up his own mind about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-m-not-here-trying-to-convince-anybody-to-vote-for-donald-trump-i/)

[Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

[Browse all 43,542 Mind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wendell Berry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mind"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/wendell-berry-236_mind_the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in_2921576.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/wendell-berry-236_mind_the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in_2921576.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/wendell-berry-236_mind_the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in_2921576.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended…” — Wendell Berry",
                "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": "Wendell Berry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The mind that comes to rest...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
