Young men Quote by Alexander Trocchi
““I found myself thinking that she could not have been more than twenty-two or so and wondering whether I looked old to her, and then I found myself envying the two young men who escorted her. A feeling almost of despair came over me. I felt a devastating sense of loss for something which I had never had, and it didn't occur to me that that something was a thing which no one ever possesses for the simple reason that it is something which is created in being seen and which exists only for the spectator without whom it could never become an object to tantalize. I was tired and distraught and it did not strike me then that her escorts were even farther than I from the thing for which I felt an acute sense of loss, infinitely farther from it, because it did not exist for them - their laughter, the swing of her hips, the ribbon, their familiarity, all that. And even if she were the mistress of one of them, I had created the thing for which I felt the sense of loss and it was not anyone else's to be enjoyed.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Coldest Winter, 1979
The narrator feels an acute, unfulfilled longing for an idealized woman, realizing the desire is a personal construct that cannot be shared or possessed.
In simple terms: He envies others and feels loss for an imagined connection that never existed.
Recognize that some longings are self‑created and unattainable.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- unrequited romance
- artistic inspiration
- personal introspection
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What personal fantasies are you projecting onto others?
- How does recognizing a desire as self‑created change its power?
The longing may be a projection, not an objective reality.