--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ah, clever clogs, but it will have…" description: "\"“Ah, clever clogs, but it will have happened in one of my alternative lives. You know--the lives hot-shot scientists tell us we are living at the same ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/aidan-chambers-10534_ice-cream_ah-clever-clogs-but-it-will-have-happene_1439445.jpg" --- # Ah, clever clogs, but it will have happened in one of my… ![“Ah, clever clogs, but it will have happened in one of my alternative lives. You know--the lives hot-shot scientists tell us we are living at the same time as this one we know about. Which being so, how do you know that what happens in one of your alternative lives doesn't sometimes leak through…” quote by Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/aidan-chambers-10534_ice-cream_ah-clever-clogs-but-it-will-have-happene_1439445.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/aidan-chambers-10534_ice-cream_ah-clever-clogs-but-it-will-have-happene_1439445.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/aidan-chambers-10534_ice-cream_ah-clever-clogs-but-it-will-have-happene_1439445.jpg) > ““Ah, clever clogs, but it will have happened in one of my alternative lives. You know--the lives hot-shot scientists tell us we are living at the same time as this one we know about. Which being so, how do you know that what happens in one of your alternative lives doesn't sometimes leak through into your consciousness in this life, and make you sad that you aren't living that particular alternative life instead of this one? Don't you sometimes feel depressed for no reason you can think of? I do. And maybe that's why. We've had a leak from an alternative life and want that life now. Like wanting an ice cream when you were little, which you knew was in the freezer, but your mom wouldn't let you have it.”” [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator wonders if memories or emotions from alternate realities can bleed into our consciousness, causing unexplained melancholy. **In simple terms:** Alternate lives may affect our feelings. Key Takeaway Consider how unseen influences shape mood. Themes identity existentialism memory multiverse sadness Mood thoughtful melancholic speculative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - philosophical discussion - personal reflection - mental health Key Concepts parallel universes psychological leakage nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever feel inexplicable longing? - How might you ground yourself in the present? A Different Perspective No empirical evidence for alternate‑life influence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ice cream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice-cream/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [The happiest marriages are full of alternative lives, lived in the head, unknown to the partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bayley/the-happiest-marriages-are-full-of-alternative-lives-lived-in-the/) John Bayley > [We live through books; we have adventures in them, we lead alternative lives through them. We expand our memories through them. And that sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/we-live-through-books-we-have-adventures-in-them-we-lead-alternative/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [Writing novels is a way of living alternative lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvyn-bragg/writing-novels-is-a-way-of-living-alternative-lives/) [Melvyn Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvyn-bragg/) > [The celebrity thing's completely crazy. I think I just have to move away or give it up altogether. I couldn't have kids in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keira-knightley/the-celebrity-thing-s-completely-crazy-i-think-i-just-have-to-move/) [Keira Knightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keira-knightley/) > [In an alternative life, I would have loved to work in film - I love film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-forge/in-an-alternative-life-i-would-have-loved-to-work-in-film-i-love-film/) [Tobias Forge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-forge/) > [“Even when life becomes very boring, very tiring or even unbearable, never forget: There is no alternative to life; you should definitely look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/even-when-life-becomes-very-boring-very-tiring-or-even-unbearable/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I always thought my alternative life, if I wasn't acting, would be to become a midwife. I love women. I want to help them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zazie-beetz/i-always-thought-my-alternative-life-if-i-wasn-t-acting-would-be-to/) [Zazie Beetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zazie-beetz/) > [Searching for alternative life on Earth might seem misconceived, because there is excellent evidence that every kind of life so far studied evolved from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/searching-for-alternative-life-on-earth-might-seem-misconceived/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Participate in life instead of just watching it pass you by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/participate-in-life-instead-of-just-watching-it-pass-you-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think it's important for service to be a part of your life instead of an option. It's awesome to make it a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luvvie-ajayi/i-think-it-s-important-for-service-to-be-a-part-of-your-life-instead/) [Luvvie Ajayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luvvie-ajayi/) > [Give me by all means the shorter and nobler life, instead of one that is longer but of less account!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/give-me-by-all-means-the-shorter-and-nobler-life-instead-of-one-that/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“Love helped me live life instead of just survive it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/love-helped-me-live-life-instead-of-just-survive-it/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [I was going through the motions of life, instead of really living, and there's no excuse for that. It's not something I'll let happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/i-was-going-through-the-motions-of-life-instead-of-really-living-and/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [I was about to read your political rant that you posted on Facebook, but I just went on living my life instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-about-to-read-your-political-rant-that-you-posted-on-facebook/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Is better to get an instant life, Instead of just there for life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-connor/is-better-to-get-an-instant-life-instead-of-just-there-for-life/) Peter O'Connor ## More by Aidan Chambers > [We resent being faced with facts we'd prefer to ignore as much as being wrongly accused of doing something we haven't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/we-resent-being-faced-with-facts-we-d-prefer-to-ignore-as-much-as/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [“Readers are made by readers. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/readers-are-made-by-readers/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [I will not compromise on language or content. At 15, people can handle the same language as me, they're just as complicated as me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/i-will-not-compromise-on-language-or-content-at-15-people-can-handle/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [“I don't know, I can't quite get it." "Don't try. It's just words." " Just words?" "Just words! We love them so much, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/i-don-t-know-i-can-t-quite-get-it-don-t-try-it-s-just-words-just/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [You become a reader by reading the literature, not by reading the handbooks about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/you-become-a-reader-by-reading-the-literature-not-by-reading-the/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [I huff and puff and struggle with every sentence, paragraph and page - sometimes every word as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/i-huff-and-puff-and-struggle-with-every-sentence-paragraph-and-page/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [Life is not like a novel, but a novel can be like life. The best ones always are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/life-is-not-like-a-novel-but-a-novel-can-be-like-life-the-best-ones/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [History dies without the present. There is no future without the path made to it by the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/history-dies-without-the-present-there-is-no-future-without-the-path/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [How do I think of you? As someone I want to be with. As someone as young as me, but "older," if that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/how-do-i-think-of-you-as-someone-i-want-to-be-with-as-someone-as/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [I thought how lovely and how strange a river is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/i-thought-how-lovely-and-how-strange-a-river-is/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [However much you love somebody, you should always keep a part of yourself to yourself. Never give it all. You can never be yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/however-much-you-love-somebody-you-should-always-keep-a-part-of/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [All the time I think I can never love you more than I already do. And then you do something or say something, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/all-the-time-i-think-i-can-never-love-you-more-than-i-already-do-and/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [Is it better to go with the flow or let the flow go?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/is-it-better-to-go-with-the-flow-or-let-the-flow-go/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [ “No, but still, the fact is, at least this is how it seems to me, everybody has to learn about it \[love\] from scratch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/no-but-still-the-fact-is-at-least-this-is-how-it-seems-to-me/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [Self pity is a disease which does not kill but corrodes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/self-pity-is-a-disease-which-does-not-kill-but-corrodes/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) [Explore all 60 Aidan Chambers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) ## More Ice cream quotes > [The improved American highway system isolated the American-in-transit. On his speedway he had no contact with the towns which he by-passed. If he stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-improved-american-highway-system-isolated-the-american-in-transit/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/) Harold McGee > [“I've been thinking a lot about the word "everything." Whenever something horrible happens, you hear people say they "lost everything." They lost their house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-brown/i-ve-been-thinking-a-lot-about-the-word-everything-whenever-something/) [Jennifer Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-brown/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > ['Constitutional' is just a real pip of a word. Positively rolls off the tongue. In fact, it's downright fun to say. 'Con-stit-too-shun-al.' It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/constitutional-is-just-a-real-pip-of-a-word-positively-rolls-off-the/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/it-was-a-very-intense-and-stressful-situation-there-was-playing-in/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [“Human milk is like ice cream, penicillin, and the drug ecstasy all wrapped up in two pretty packages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/human-milk-is-like-ice-cream-penicillin-and-the-drug-ecstasy-all/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [There were some problems only coffee and ice cream could fix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amal-el-mohtar/there-were-some-problems-only-coffee-and-ice-cream-could-fix/) [Amal El-Mohtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amal-el-mohtar/) > [I am the one who got myself fat, who did all the eating. So I had to take full responsibility for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstie-alley/i-am-the-one-who-got-myself-fat-who-did-all-the-eating-so-i-had-to/) [Kirstie Alley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstie-alley/) > [“America's greatest revelation was not the atom bomb, not Fundamentalism, not fat farms, not Elvis, not even the quite astute observation that gentlemen prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/america-s-greatest-revelation-was-not-the-atom-bomb-not/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [We have lost the good old British spirit. 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