---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...But it was above all that…"
description: "\"“...But it was above all that fragmentation of Albertine into many parts, into many Albertines, that was her sole mode of existence in me. Moments recu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/anonymous-1_life_but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation_2378365.jpg"
---

#  ...But it was above all that fragmentation of Albertine…

![“...But it was above all that fragmentation of Albertine into many parts, into many Albertines, that was her sole mode of existence in me. Moments recurred in which she had simply been kind, or intelligent, or serious, or even loving sport above all else. And was it not right, after all, that this…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/anonymous-1_life_but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation_2378365.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/anonymous-1_life_but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation_2378365.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/anonymous-1_life_but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation_2378365.jpg)

> ““...But it was above all that fragmentation of Albertine into many parts, into many Albertines, that was her sole mode of existence in me. Moments recurred in which she had simply been kind, or intelligent, or serious, or even loving sport above all else. And was it not right, after all, that this fragmentation should soothe me? For if it was not in itself something real, if it arose from the continuously changing shape of the hours in which she had appeared to me, a shape which remained that of my memory as the curve of the projections of my magic lantern depended on the curve of the coloured slides, did it not in its own way represent a truly objective truth, this one, namely that none of us is single, that each of us contains many persons who do not all have the same moral value,...””

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## 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 sees a lover as a collection of shifting facets, each revealing different qualities, suggesting identity is fragmented and memory constructs reality.

**In simple terms:** A person is made of many changing parts.

Key Takeaway

Accept that people and yourself have many sides.

Themes

identity memory subjectivity fragmentation

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- self-reflection
- artistic analysis

Key Concepts

phenomenology psychology narrative selfhood

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile changing facets with a sense of self?
- Can fragmented memories be trusted as truth?

A Different Perspective

The idea may overlook stable core traits that provide continuity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Objective truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objective-truth/) [Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proust/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Every true faith is infallible. It performs what the believing person hopes to find in it. But it does not offer the least support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-true-faith-is-infallible-it-performs-what-the-believing-person/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Our aim as scientists is objective truth; more truth, more interesting truth, more intelligible truth. We cannot reasonably aim at certainty. Once we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-aim-as-scientists-is-objective-truth-more-truth-more-interesting/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/agnosticism-in-fact-is-not-a-creed-but-a-method-the-essence-of-which-2/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [...words are the gateway to reality, the means by which we engage with the objective truth beyond ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pearce/words-are-the-gateway-to-reality-the-means-by-which-we-engage-with/)

[Joseph Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pearce/)

> [I don't know if there is really an objective truth about either. I liken this to what Buddhism says about the individual, that change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-bajaj/i-don-t-know-if-there-is-really-an-objective-truth-about-either-i/)

[Karan Bajaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-bajaj/)

> [“We in our age are faced with a strange paradox. Never before have we had so much information in bits and pieces flooded upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/we-in-our-age-are-faced-with-a-strange-paradox-never-before-have-we/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

> [“We all know objective truth is not obtainable, that when some event occurs we shall have a multiplicity of subjective truths which we assess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/we-all-know-objective-truth-is-not-obtainable-that-when-some-event/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [“Both fascism and communism were responses to globalization: to the real and perceived inequalities it created, and the apparent helplessness of the democracies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/both-fascism-and-communism-were-responses-to-globalization-to-the/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Relativism is self-contradictory. If someone claims to be a relativist, don't believe it. A relativist will say that your belief is true for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cabal/relativism-is-self-contradictory-if-someone-claims-to-be-a-relativist/)

[Ted Cabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cabal/)

> [You don't need to be a scientist to know Earth's age or that life evolved. You just need be one who embraces objective truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-don-t-need-to-be-a-scientist-to-know-earth-s-age-or-that-life/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-very-concept-of-objective-truth-is-fading-out-of-the-world-lies/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“This may be why Einstein once said; "Humanity has every reason to place the proclaimers of high moral standards and values above the discoverers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-may-be-why-einstein-once-said-humanity-has-every-reason-to-place/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

> [“…the war about the genocide was truly a postmodern war: a battle between those who believed that because the realities we inhabit are constructs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gourevitch/the-war-about-the-genocide-was-truly-a-postmodern-war-a-battle/)

[Philip Gourevitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gourevitch/)

> [“Objective truth is difficult to come by, and even if you have it, what you can pass on to the next person is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/objective-truth-is-difficult-to-come-by-and-even-if-you-have-it-what/)

[Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/)

> [“As outraged as I am by Trump’s actions since his inauguration, I know there’s no objective truth regarding how well he has performed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-d-acquaviva/as-outraged-as-i-am-by-trump-s-actions-since-his-inauguration-i-know/)

[Kimberly D. Acquaviva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-d-acquaviva/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...But it was above all that fragmentation of Albertine into many parts, into many Albertines, that was her sole mode of existence in me. Moments recurred in which she had simply been kind, or intelligent, or serious, or even loving sport above all else. And was it not right, after all, that this fragmentation should soothe me? For if it was not in itself something real, if it arose from the continuously changing shape of the hours in which she had appeared to me, a shape which remained that of my memory as the curve of the projections of my magic lantern depended on the curve of the coloured slides, did it not in its own way represent a truly objective truth, this one, namely that none of us is single, that each of us contains many persons who do not all have the same moral value,...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation-of-albertine-into-many-parts/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation-of-albertine-into-many-parts/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/anonymous-1_life_but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation_2378365.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/anonymous-1_life_but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation_2378365.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6e/anonymous-1_life_but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation_2378365.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...But it was above all that fragmentation of Albertine into many parts, into many Albertines, that was her…” — Anonymous",
                "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": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...But it was above all that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation-of-albertine-into-many-parts/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-it-was-above-all-that-fragmentation-of-albertine-into-many-parts/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
