--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You think all existence lapses in as…" description: "\"“You think all existence lapses in as quiet a flow as that in which your youth has hitherto slid away. Floating on with closed eyes and muffled ears, y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/charlotte-bront-jane-eyre-7451_charlotte-bronte_you-think-all-existence-lapses-in-as-qui_1314981.jpg" --- # You think all existence lapses in as quiet a flow as that… ![“You think all existence lapses in as quiet a flow as that in which your youth has hitherto slid away. Floating on with closed eyes and muffled ears, you neither see the rocks bristling not far off in the bed of the flood, nor hear the breakers boil at their base. But I tell you—and you may mark my…” quote by Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/charlotte-bront-jane-eyre-7451_charlotte-bronte_you-think-all-existence-lapses-in-as-qui_1314981.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/charlotte-bront-jane-eyre-7451_charlotte-bronte_you-think-all-existence-lapses-in-as-qui_1314981.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/charlotte-bront-jane-eyre-7451_charlotte-bronte_you-think-all-existence-lapses-in-as-qui_1314981.jpg) > ““You think all existence lapses in as quiet a flow as that in which your youth has hitherto slid away. Floating on with closed eyes and muffled ears, you neither see the rocks bristling not far off in the bed of the flood, nor hear the breakers boil at their base. But I tell you—and you may mark my words—you will come some day to a craggy pass in the channel, where the whole of life's stream will be broken up into whirl and tumult, foam and noise: either you will be dashed to atoms on crag points, or lifted up and borne on by some master-wave into a calmer current—as I am now.”” Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life alternates between calm and turmoil; we may be shattered or uplifted by circumstances. **In simple terms:** Life has calm and storm; we can be broken or lifted. Key Takeaway Accept change and seek growth. Themes change growth resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - personal crises - career setbacks - relationship challenges - health struggles Key Concepts philosophy metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to sudden change? - What can you learn from turbulent periods? A Different Perspective Not all upheavals lead to positive transformation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charlotte-bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charlotte-bronte-2/) [Classics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classics/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“you think all existence lapses in a quiet flow as that in which your youth has hitherto slid away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-think-all-existence-lapses-in-a-quiet-flow-as-that-in-which-your/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“I am no bird, no net ensnares me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-am-no-bird-no-net-ensnares-me/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Yes Mrs Reed, to you i owe some fearful pangs of mental suffering, but i ought to forgive you, for you knew not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/yes-mrs-reed-to-you-i-owe-some-fearful-pangs-of-mental-suffering-but/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Reader, I married him. 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Who would call Edwar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-bonnell/the-present-realist-bases-his-work-upon-types-miss-bronte-took-the/) Henry Bonnell > [ “\[Charlotte Brontë\] once told her sisters that they were wrong - even morally wrong - in making their heroines beautiful as a matter of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/charlotte-bront-once-told-her-sisters-that-they-were-wrong-even/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“She picked up the book beside her. Jane Eyre. 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