--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And in any case, to the old man, when the…" description: "\"And in any case, to the old man, when the world becomes trite, the triteness arises not so much from a cessation as from a transference of interest. Wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/alexander-smith-4402_afternoon_and-in-any-case-to-the-old-man-when-the_289462.jpg" --- # And in any case, to the old man, when the world becomes… ![“And in any case, to the old man, when the world becomes trite, the triteness arises not so much from a cessation as from a transference of interest. What is taken from this world is given to the next. The glory is in the east in the morning, it is in the west in the afternoon, and when it is dark…” quote by Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/alexander-smith-4402_afternoon_and-in-any-case-to-the-old-man-when-the_289462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/alexander-smith-4402_afternoon_and-in-any-case-to-the-old-man-when-the_289462.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/alexander-smith-4402_afternoon_and-in-any-case-to-the-old-man-when-the_289462.jpg) > “And in any case, to the old man, when the world becomes trite, the triteness arises not so much from a cessation as from a transference of interest. What is taken from this world is given to the next. The glory is in the east in the morning, it is in the west in the afternoon, and when it is dark the splendour is irradiating the realm of the under-world. He would only follow.” [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that when the world feels stale, it is because interest shifts rather than stops; meaning passes from one realm to another, with beauty persisting across time and places. **In simple terms:** Interest shifts, not stops; beauty moves across realms. Key Takeaway Recognize that change is transfer, not loss. Themes philosophy transience beauty spirituality Mood contemplative enigmatic Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative work - spiritual practice Key Concepts interest transfer impermanence metaphysics Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice interest shifting in your life? - What does "splendor in the under-world" mean to you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may be too abstract for practical application. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Realms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realms/) [Splendour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendour/) [Transference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transference/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The anguished suspense of watching the lips you hunger for, framing the words, the death sentence, of sheer triteness!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/the-anguished-suspense-of-watching-the-lips-you-hunger-for-framing/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [I lost a girlfriend when I was in my 30s. She was 46. It all sounds so trite, but I put a Post-it on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-bond/i-lost-a-girlfriend-when-i-was-in-my-30s-she-was-46-it-all-sounds-so/) [Samantha Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-bond/) > [It is a trite but true definition that examples work more forcibly on the mind than precepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/it-is-a-trite-but-true-definition-that-examples-work-more-forcibly-on/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [It sounds so trite but in relationships, you have to communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-krause/it-sounds-so-trite-but-in-relationships-you-have-to-communicate/) [Peter Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-krause/) > [“It sounds trite, but only because words make everything true sound trite. Because words always screw up what you're trying to say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/it-sounds-trite-but-only-because-words-make-everything-true-sound/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [A trite word is an overused word which has lost its identity like an old coat in a second-hand shop. The familiar grows dull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/a-trite-word-is-an-overused-word-which-has-lost-its-identity-like-an/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [What's terrible is that there's nothing terrible, that the very essence of life is petty, uninteresting, and degradingly trite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-turgenev/what-s-terrible-is-that-there-s-nothing-terrible-that-the-very/) [Ivan Turgenev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-turgenev/) > [It is by vivacity and wit that man shines in company; but trite jokes and loud laughter reduce him to a buffoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-by-vivacity-and-wit-that-man-shines-in-company-but-trite-jokes/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“When I thought of how I’d been living, how I’d been approaching life, it was all so trite, so miserably pointless. Unimaginative middle-class rubbish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-thought-of-how-i-d-been-living-how-i-d-been-approaching-life/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“He was trying to do contrite, which is a combination of con and trite .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-hamilton/he-was-trying-to-do-contrite-which-is-a-combination-of-con-and-trite/) Andy Hamilton > [In a popular medium, you're going to get loads of stuff that is trite, but there'll also be some really special moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/in-a-popular-medium-you-re-going-to-get-loads-of-stuff-that-is-trite/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [It sounds trite, but I like telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/it-sounds-trite-but-i-like-telling-stories/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) > [Every adventure requires a first step. Trite but true, even here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-adventure-requires-a-first-step-trite-but-true-even-here/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've got passion, and for people who don't, I make them see how trite their lives are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singleton/i-ve-got-passion-and-for-people-who-don-t-i-make-them-see-how-trite/) [John Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singleton/) > [Although it sounds very trite, I wish people were nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/although-it-sounds-very-trite-i-wish-people-were-nice/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) ## More by Alexander Smith > [Pleasure has no logic; it never treads in its own footsteps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/pleasure-has-no-logic-it-never-treads-in-its-own-footsteps/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [The great man is the man who does a thing for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/the-great-man-is-the-man-who-does-a-thing-for-the-first-time/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Eternity doth wear upon her face the veil of time. They only see the veil, and thus they know not what they stand so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/eternity-doth-wear-upon-her-face-the-veil-of-time-they-only-see-the/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [There is a certain even-handed justice in Time; and for what he takes away he gives us something in return. He robs us of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/there-is-a-certain-even-handed-justice-in-time-and-for-what-he-takes/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Thoughts must come naturally, like wild-flowers; they cannot be forced in a hot-bed, even although aided by the leaf-mould of your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/thoughts-must-come-naturally-like-wild-flowers-they-cannot-be-forced/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [In the entire circle of the year there are no days so delightful as those of a fine October, when the trees are bare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/in-the-entire-circle-of-the-year-there-are-no-days-so-delightful-as/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [The globe has been circumnavigated, but no man ever yet has; you may survey a kingdom and note the result in maps, but all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/the-globe-has-been-circumnavigated-but-no-man-ever-yet-has-you-may/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [In winter, when the dismal rain Comes down in slanting lines, And Wind, that grand old harper, smote His thunder-harp of pines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/in-winter-when-the-dismal-rain-comes-down-in-slanting-lines-and-wind/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Most brilliant star upon the crest of Time Is England. England!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/most-brilliant-star-upon-the-crest-of-time-is-england-england/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [In my garden, care stops at the gate and gazes at me wistfully through the bars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/in-my-garden-care-stops-at-the-gate-and-gazes-at-me-wistfully-through/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [The spot of ground on which a man has stood is forever interesting to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/the-spot-of-ground-on-which-a-man-has-stood-is-forever-interesting-to/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [To sit for one's portrait is like being present at one's own creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/to-sit-for-one-s-portrait-is-like-being-present-at-one-s-own-creation/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [There is nothing good in this world which time does not improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/there-is-nothing-good-in-this-world-which-time-does-not-improve/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/love-is-but-the-discovery-of-ourselves-in-others-and-the-delight-in/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) > [To have to die is a distinction of which no man is proud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-smith/to-have-to-die-is-a-distinction-of-which-no-man-is-proud/) [Alexander Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) [Explore all 111 Alexander Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-smith/) ## More Afternoon quotes > [I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-didn-t-grow-up-thinking-of-movies-as-film-or-art-but-as-movies/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/my-dental-hygienist-is-cute-every-time-i-visit-i-eat-a-whole-package/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Honestly, I'm living my fantasy. It's being with my family, preferably on a snowy afternoon with a fire going, cuddled up in blankets, playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-vieira/honestly-i-m-living-my-fantasy-it-s-being-with-my-family-preferably/) [Meredith Vieira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-vieira/) > [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/) > [Sunday afternoon is for papers and writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-haslam/sunday-afternoon-is-for-papers-and-writing/) [Nicholas Haslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-haslam/) > [I think that if most guys in America could somehow get their fave-rave poster girl in bed and have total license to do whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-think-that-if-most-guys-in-america-could-somehow-get-their-fave/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the afternoon. A boy brought the white sheet at five in the afternoon. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-five-in-the-afternoon-it-was-exactly-five-in-the-afternoon-a-boy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The shadows in the early morning don't tell much. The shadows rest at that time. So it's useless to gaze very early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/the-shadows-in-the-early-morning-don-t-tell-much-the-shadows-rest-at/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-spollen/i-discovered-windows-one-afternoon-and-after-that-nothing-was-ever/) [Anne Spollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-spollen/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon? And the day after that, and the next thirty years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/what-ll-we-do-with-ourselves-this-afternoon-and-the-day-after-that/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Imagine you are walking down a leafy path…The sun is receding, and you are walking alone, caressed by the breezy light of the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/imagine-you-are-walking-down-a-leafy-path-the-sun-is-receding-and-you/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [A good umpire is the umpire you don't even notice. He's there all afternoon but when the game is over, you don't even remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-johnson/a-good-umpire-is-the-umpire-you-don-t-even-notice-he-s-there-all/) Ban Johnson > [Sometimes in the afternoon sky the moon would pass white as a cloud, furtive, lusterless, like an actress who does not have to perform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/sometimes-in-the-afternoon-sky-the-moon-would-pass-white-as-a-cloud/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) Browse all 1,085 Afternoon quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And in any case, to the old man, when the world becomes trite, the triteness arises not so much from a cessation as from a transference of interest. What is taken from this world is given to the next. The glory is in the east in the morning, it is in the west in the afternoon, and when it is dark the splendour is irradiating the realm of the under-world. 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