--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Luftmenschen were also eternal students…" description: "\"“Luftmenschen were also eternal students, lost souls, young people who spent their lives arguing politics in cafés and drifting through the student com..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/alan-furst-15100_lost-souls_luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students_158420.png" --- # Luftmenschen were also eternal students, lost souls, young… ![“Luftmenschen were also eternal students, lost souls, young people who spent their lives arguing politics in cafés and drifting through the student communities of Europe— gifted, bright, but never truly finding themselves.” quote by Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/alan-furst-15100_lost-souls_luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students_158420.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/alan-furst-15100_lost-souls_luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students_158420.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/alan-furst-15100_lost-souls_luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students_158420.png) > ““Luftmenschen were also eternal students, lost souls, young people who spent their lives arguing politics in cafés and drifting through the student communities of Europe— gifted, bright, but never truly finding themselves.”” [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A generation of restless intellectuals drifted through European cafés, constantly debating politics yet never achieving self‑realization. **In simple terms:** Restless students debated politics but never found themselves. Key Takeaway Seek personal identity beyond endless debate. Themes identity politics self‑discovery youth intellectualism Mood melancholic reflective Type observational literary When to use this quote - University life - political salons - traveling youth - artistic circles Key Concepts Existentialism cultural alienation search for meaning Questions to Reflect On - How does constant debate affect self‑knowledge? - What steps can break the cycle of intellectual wandering? A Different Perspective Endless debate can hinder personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lost souls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-souls/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [“Life cannot be measured by time, for time is eternal. We are but students in different stages of eternal life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-g-space/life-cannot-be-measured-by-time-for-time-is-eternal-we-are-but/) [L.G. Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-g-space/) > [“True sages are eternal students.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/true-sages-are-eternal-students/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Fawcett, who had always found refuge in the natural world, no longer recognized the wilderness of bombed-out villages, denuded trees, craters, and sunbaked skeletons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/fawcett-who-had-always-found-refuge-in-the-natural-world-no-longer/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [What's lost is lost what's found is found too many lost souls lurking around trying to find bodys with good names or ones with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildchild94/what-s-lost-is-lost-what-s-found-is-found-too-many-lost-souls-lurking/) WildChild94 > [I don't really care who's doing drugs in the NBA as long as the scene isn't adversely affecting my team and teammates. I've known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-don-t-really-care-who-s-doing-drugs-in-the-nba-as-long-as-the-scene/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [How many lost souls do You need, Lord, to satisfy Your hunger? the hatter asked. God, in His infinite silence, looked at him without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/how-many-lost-souls-do-you-need-lord-to-satisfy-your-hunger-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“He is a warden for Hells Prison. A politician shoved in the guise of a devil. He doesn’t care about the Lost Souls he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jeffery/he-is-a-warden-for-hells-prison-a-politician-shoved-in-the-guise-of-a/) [Ashley Jeffery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jeffery/) > [“I can always recognize another lost soul. Even if they're smiling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-joshua-shaw/i-can-always-recognize-another-lost-soul-even-if-they-re-smiling/) [Mr. Joshua Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-joshua-shaw/) > [I want no Christmas without a burden for lost souls, a message for sinners, a heart to bring in the lost sheep so dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-rice/i-want-no-christmas-without-a-burden-for-lost-souls-a-message-for/) [John R. Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-rice/) > [“We're just two lost souls Swimming in a fish bowl, Year after year, Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/we-re-just-two-lost-souls-swimming-in-a-fish-bowl-year-after-year/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [“Illusion" A man wants to be free flying in the emptiness of the universe He thinks he means something in the endlessness of nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asper-blurry/illusion-a-man-wants-to-be-free-flying-in-the-emptiness-of-the/) [Asper Blurry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asper-blurry/) > [The only test of possession is use. The talent that is buried is not owned. The napkin and the hole in the ground are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maltbie-davenport-babcock/the-only-test-of-possession-is-use-the-talent-that-is-buried-is-not/) [Maltbie Davenport Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maltbie-davenport-babcock/) > [Sometimes I think about dying. And then I wonder about going to hell. And then I think that if and when I go there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheffield/sometimes-i-think-about-dying-and-then-i-wonder-about-going-to-hell/) [Charles Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheffield/) > [“FI: Elämä on julmaa ironiaa. Jotkut sielut kaipaavat taistella vapauden puolesta, mutta heiltä puuttuvat keinot. Toiset, joilla on kaikki mahdollisuudet vastustaa, valitsevat olla tekemättä…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-vuorenmaan/fi-el-m-on-julmaa-ironiaa-jotkut-sielut-kaipaavat-taistella-vapauden/) Alex Vuorenmaan > [A date," Jace repeated. "Often a 'boring thing you have to memorize in history class," but in this case,' 'an offer of a n…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/a-date-jace-repeated-often-a-boring-thing-you-have-to-memorize-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More by Alan Furst > [“It was dawn by the time the detective showed up; tired and weary. Tired because he’d been called from his bed before dawn, weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/it-was-dawn-by-the-time-the-detective-showed-up-tired-and-weary-tired/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [Live today, for tomorrow we die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/live-today-for-tomorrow-we-die/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [“There's a French saying, ‘Où le Dieu a vous semé, il faut savoir fleurir.’ Let's see, ‘Wherever God has planted you, you must know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/there-s-a-french-saying-o-le-dieu-a-vous-sem-il-faut-savoir-fleurir/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [I don't just want my books to be about the '30s and '40s. I want them to read as if they had been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/i-don-t-just-want-my-books-to-be-about-the-30s-and-40s-i-want-them-to/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [“Home at that moment was a starless night, a steady wind, not a human to be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/home-at-that-moment-was-a-starless-night-a-steady-wind-not-a-human-to/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [“when at last they’d had to admit to themselves that they’d made all the love they could, had been a last meal. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/when-at-last-they-d-had-to-admit-to-themselves-that-they-d-made-all/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [I write what I call 'novels of consolation' for people who are bright and sophisticated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/i-write-what-i-call-novels-of-consolation-for-people-who-are-bright/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [“This year, of course, being 1936, there would be no figs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/this-year-of-course-being-1936-there-would-be-no-figs/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [It takes me three months of research and nine months of work to produce a book. When I start writing, I do two pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/it-takes-me-three-months-of-research-and-nine-months-of-work-to/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [Politicians were like talking dogs in a circus: the fact that they existed was uncommonly interesting, but no sane person would actually believe what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/politicians-were-like-talking-dogs-in-a-circus-the-fact-that-they/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [I have a very serious censorship office inside my head; it censors things that I could tell you that you would never forget, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/i-have-a-very-serious-censorship-office-inside-my-head-it-censors/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [If you're a writer, you're always working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/if-you-re-a-writer-you-re-always-working/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [“When a diplomat says ‘yes’ he means ‘maybe.’ When a diplomat says ‘maybe’ he means ‘no.’ But if a diplomat says ‘no’ he’s no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/when-a-diplomat-says-yes-he-means-maybe-when-a-diplomat-says-maybe-he/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [My novels are about the European reality, not about chases. You want chases, get somebody else's books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/my-novels-are-about-the-european-reality-not-about-chases-you-want/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) > [“In return for their faithful service, they would receive Red Army food rations, which amounted to a generous ladle, twice daily, from a cauldron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/in-return-for-their-faithful-service-they-would-receive-red-army-food/) [Alan Furst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) [Explore all 43 Alan Furst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/) ## More Lost souls quotes > [A date," Jace repeated. "Often a 'boring thing you have to memorize in history class," but in this case,' 'an offer of a n…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/a-date-jace-repeated-often-a-boring-thing-you-have-to-memorize-in/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“FI: Elämä on julmaa ironiaa. Jotkut sielut kaipaavat taistella vapauden puolesta, mutta heiltä puuttuvat keinot. Toiset, joilla on kaikki mahdollisuudet vastustaa, valitsevat olla tekemättä…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-vuorenmaan/fi-el-m-on-julmaa-ironiaa-jotkut-sielut-kaipaavat-taistella-vapauden/) Alex Vuorenmaan > [Sometimes I think about dying. And then I wonder about going to hell. And then I think that if and when I go there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sheffield/sometimes-i-think-about-dying-and-then-i-wonder-about-going-to-hell/) [Charles Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sheffield/) > [The only test of possession is use. The talent that is buried is not owned. The napkin and the hole in the ground are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maltbie-davenport-babcock/the-only-test-of-possession-is-use-the-talent-that-is-buried-is-not/) [Maltbie Davenport Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maltbie-davenport-babcock/) > [“Illusion" A man wants to be free flying in the emptiness of the universe He thinks he means something in the endlessness of nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asper-blurry/illusion-a-man-wants-to-be-free-flying-in-the-emptiness-of-the/) [Asper Blurry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asper-blurry/) > [“We're just two lost souls Swimming in a fish bowl, Year after year, Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/we-re-just-two-lost-souls-swimming-in-a-fish-bowl-year-after-year/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [I want no Christmas without a burden for lost souls, a message for sinners, a heart to bring in the lost sheep so dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-rice/i-want-no-christmas-without-a-burden-for-lost-souls-a-message-for/) [John R. Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-rice/) > [“I can always recognize another lost soul. Even if they're smiling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-joshua-shaw/i-can-always-recognize-another-lost-soul-even-if-they-re-smiling/) [Mr. Joshua Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-joshua-shaw/) > [“He is a warden for Hells Prison. A politician shoved in the guise of a devil. He doesn’t care about the Lost Souls he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jeffery/he-is-a-warden-for-hells-prison-a-politician-shoved-in-the-guise-of-a/) [Ashley Jeffery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jeffery/) > [How many lost souls do You need, Lord, to satisfy Your hunger? the hatter asked. God, in His infinite silence, looked at him without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/how-many-lost-souls-do-you-need-lord-to-satisfy-your-hunger-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I don't really care who's doing drugs in the NBA as long as the scene isn't adversely affecting my team and teammates. I've known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-don-t-really-care-who-s-doing-drugs-in-the-nba-as-long-as-the-scene/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [What's lost is lost what's found is found too many lost souls lurking around trying to find bodys with good names or ones with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildchild94/what-s-lost-is-lost-what-s-found-is-found-too-many-lost-souls-lurking/) WildChild94 > [“Fawcett, who had always found refuge in the natural world, no longer recognized the wilderness of bombed-out villages, denuded trees, craters, and sunbaked skeletons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/fawcett-who-had-always-found-refuge-in-the-natural-world-no-longer/) [David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/) > [How I wish you were here... We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, Year after year. Running over the same old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink-floyd/how-i-wish-you-were-here-we-re-just-two-lost-souls-swimming-in-a-fish/) [Pink Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink-floyd/) > [The rain washed away my pitcher's mound... I'm a pitcher without a mound... I'm a lost soul... I'm like a politician out of office."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/the-rain-washed-away-my-pitcher-s-mound-i-m-a-pitcher-without-a-mound/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) [Browse all 151 Lost souls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-souls/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Luftmenschen were also eternal students, lost souls, young people who spent their lives arguing politics in cafés and drifting through the student communities of Europe— gifted, bright, but never truly finding themselves.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Furst" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students-lost-souls-young-people-who/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lost souls" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students-lost-souls-young-people-who/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/alan-furst-15100_lost-souls_luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students_158420.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/alan-furst-15100_lost-souls_luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students_158420.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/alan-furst-15100_lost-souls_luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students_158420.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Luftmenschen were also eternal students, lost souls, young people who spent their lives arguing politics in…” — Alan Furst", "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": "Alan Furst", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-furst/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Luftmenschen were also eternal students, lost...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students-lost-souls-young-people-who/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-furst/luftmenschen-were-also-eternal-students-lost-souls-young-people-who/#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 } } ] } ```