I had continued jotting down good lines—once the eyes and ears are awakened to the possibilities they can’t be put back to sleep...

Byrne describes the self-reinforcing habit of attention that underlies collecting quotations or “good lines.” Once a person trains themselves to notice striking phrasing, ideas, or turns of thought, perception changes: everyday reading and conversation become a continuous source of material. The metaphor of “awakening” suggests an irreversible shift—like learning a new skill, you can’t return to the prior state of unnoticing. The remark also implies a discipline: jotting lines is not passive admiration but an active practice that sharpens taste, memory, and discernment. In a broader sense, it speaks to how cultivated awareness—of language, art, or experience—tends to expand rather than close down.