--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For it is a fact that a man can be…" description: "\"“For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. A man may have been born in a city famous for its idiosyncratic culture and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/amor-towles-1249_professional-success_for-it-is-a-fact-that-a-man-can-be-profo_194793.png" --- # For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step… ![“For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. A man may have been born in a city famous for its idiosyncratic culture and yet, the very habits, fashions, and ideas that exalt that city in the eyes of the world may make no sense to him at all. As he proceeds through…” quote by Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/amor-towles-1249_professional-success_for-it-is-a-fact-that-a-man-can-be-profo_194793.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/amor-towles-1249_professional-success_for-it-is-a-fact-that-a-man-can-be-profo_194793.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/amor-towles-1249_professional-success_for-it-is-a-fact-that-a-man-can-be-profo_194793.png) > ““For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. A man may have been born in a city famous for its idiosyncratic culture and yet, the very habits, fashions, and ideas that exalt that city in the eyes of the world may make no sense to him at all. As he proceeds through life, he looks about in a state of confusion, understanding neither the inclinations nor the aspirations of his peers. For such a fellow, forget any chance of romance or professional success; those are the provenance of men in step with their times. Instead, for this fellow the options will be to bray like a mule or find what solace he can from overlooked volumes discovered in overlooked bookshops. And when his roommate stumbles home at two in the morning, he has little choice but to listen in silent mystification as he is recounted the latest dramas from the city’s salons.”” [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person out of sync with contemporary culture feels isolated, missing mainstream success, and seeks refuge in obscure literature. **In simple terms:** Feeling out of place, turning to books for comfort. Key Takeaway Embrace unique interests despite societal mismatch. Themes alienation culture solace literature individuality Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - college life - creative careers - urban living - nighttime conversations Key Concepts existentialism social conformity intellectual refuge Questions to Reflect On - How do you find community when your interests diverge? - What value does obscure literature hold today? A Different Perspective Mainstream success may still be attainable through alternative paths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Professional success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-success/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. 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But it’s cost me my personal and family life. I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/i-ve-set-and-met-my-career-goals-and-i-m-having-tremendous/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [“...when we understand how much culture and history and the world outside of the individual matter to professional success--then ... We have a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-we-understand-how-much-culture-and-history-and-the-world-outside/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“A powerful vocabulary correlates significantly with academic and professional success and offers a delightful expansion of your options for self-expression. Every time you discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-powerful-vocabulary-correlates-significantly-with-academic-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers that women face. 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I became a part of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saurbh-katyal/life-had-become-some-kind-of-profound-competition-where-my-emotional/) [Saurbh Katyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saurbh-katyal/) > [“All life is struggle, says the Sufi, but the struggle must be a coherent one. The average man is struggling against too many things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/all-life-is-struggle-says-the-sufi-but-the-struggle-must-be-a/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) ## More by Amor Towles > [“To have even one year when you're presented with choices that can alter your circumstances, your character, your course- that's by the grace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/to-have-even-one-year-when-you-re-presented-with-choices-that-can/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Rather than sitting in orderly rows in a schoolhouse, wouldn't one be better served by working her way towards an actual horizon, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/rather-than-sitting-in-orderly-rows-in-a-schoolhouse-wouldn-t-one-be/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [That's how quickly New York City comes about - like a weather wane - or the head of a cobra. Time tells which.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/that-s-how-quickly-new-york-city-comes-about-like-a-weather-wane-or/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Mostly, he said, I've been thinking about what I'm not going to do. When I think of the last few years, I've been hounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/mostly-he-said-i-ve-been-thinking-about-what-i-m-not-going-to-do-when/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“In the doleful court behind my building a patchwork of windows was all that separated me from a hundred muted lives being led without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/in-the-doleful-court-behind-my-building-a-patchwork-of-windows-was/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“That is how time passes when one is left waiting unaccountably. The hours become interminable. The minutes relentless. And the seconds? 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Never again would he walk Nevsky Prospekt, however they chose to rename it, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/mishka-would-pine-for-katerina-the-rest-of-his-life-never-again-would/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Every year, I would spend weeks at a time in the hotels of distant cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/every-year-i-would-spend-weeks-at-a-time-in-the-hotels-of-distant/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For eventually, we come to hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-eventually-we-come-to-hold-our-dearest-possessions-more-closely/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“As we age, we are bound to find comfort from the notion that it takes generations for a way of life to fade. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/as-we-age-we-are-bound-to-find-comfort-from-the-notion-that-it-takes/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For it is the role of the parent to express his concerns and then take three steps back. Not one, mind you, not two,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-it-is-the-role-of-the-parent-to-express-his-concerns-and-then/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“But I've come to realie that however blue my circumstance,s if after finishing a chapter of a Dickens novel I feel a miss-my-stop-on-the-train sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/but-i-ve-come-to-realie-that-however-blue-my-circumstance-s-if-after/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [I make extensive outlines before I write a book. I usually know what will happen. I know the characters, and I know what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/i-make-extensive-outlines-before-i-write-a-book-i-usually-know-what/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Sometimes,” Nina clarified, “everybody tells you something because they are everybody. But why should one listen to everybody? Did everybody write the Odyssey? Did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/sometimes-nina-clarified-everybody-tells-you-something-because-they/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“There is is again, that slight stinging sensation of the cheeks. It's our body's light speed response to the world showing us up. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/there-is-is-again-that-slight-stinging-sensation-of-the-cheeks-it-s/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) [Explore all 266 Amor Towles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## More Professional success quotes > [“All life is struggle, says the Sufi, but the struggle must be a coherent one. The average man is struggling against too many things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/all-life-is-struggle-says-the-sufi-but-the-struggle-must-be-a/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [“Life had become some kind of profound competition, where my emotional loss was substituted by my professional success. 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [From physical health to academic and professional success, how someone feels has a tremendous impact on many key aspects of his or her life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-germanotta/from-physical-health-to-academic-and-professional-success-how-someone/) [Cynthia Germanotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-germanotta/) > [I would have taken the time to learn how to listen earlier. Learning about non-violent communication and how to take feedback has been integral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-j-stephens/i-would-have-taken-the-time-to-learn-how-to-listen-earlier-learning/) Dale J. Stephens [Browse all 27 Professional success quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-success/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. 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