Changed Quote by Erich Maria Remarque
““I observe her in astonishment, she is so changed. Has memory played me false here too, then? Did it grow and grow too, until it has outgrown the reality? —This rather loud girl sitting here at the table and talking much too much is a stranger to me. But concealed under that manner must there not be perhaps some one that I do know better? Does a thing become so distorted then, just because one gets older? —Perhaps it is the years, I say to myself. It is more than three years now—she was sixteen then and a child; now she is nineteen and grown up. And suddenly I am conscious of the nameless sadness of Time that runs and runs on and changes, and when a man returns he shall find nothing again. —Yes, it is a hard thing to part; but to come back again, that is sometimes far harder.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Unknown title, likely reflective prose
Aging distorts memory and perception, making past relationships feel alien, while time inevitably erodes familiarity.
In simple terms: Time changes people and memories.
Key Takeaway
Accept change, cherish present.
Themes
memory
aging
time
identity
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- friendship
- family reunion
- personal reflection
- life transition
Key Concepts
Existentialism
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you stay connected to changing loved ones?
- What anchors your sense of self?
A Different Perspective
Nostalgia can idealize the past.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
