--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As he walked, the sad faded leaves were…" description: "\"“As he walked, the sad faded leaves were driven pitilessly around him by the wind, and under the mingling influences of autumn and evening, a craving f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa5/georges-rodenbach-9570_autumn_as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-d_735031.jpg" --- # As he walked, the sad faded leaves were driven pitilessly… ![“As he walked, the sad faded leaves were driven pitilessly around him by the wind, and under the mingling influences of autumn and evening, a craving for the quietude of the grave … overtook him with unwanted intensity.” quote by Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa5/georges-rodenbach-9570_autumn_as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-d_735031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa5/georges-rodenbach-9570_autumn_as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-d_735031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa5/georges-rodenbach-9570_autumn_as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-d_735031.jpg) > ““As he walked, the sad faded leaves were driven pitilessly around him by the wind, and under the mingling influences of autumn and evening, a craving for the quietude of the grave … overtook him with unwanted intensity.”” [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The protagonist feels an overwhelming, unwanted urge toward death as autumn deepens. **In simple terms:** Autumn triggers a strong, unwanted desire for death. Key Takeaway Recognize and address unsettling thoughts before they dominate. Themes mortality autumn inner turmoil Mood melancholy introspective Type literary poetic When to use this quote - seasonal depression - grief processing - creative writing prompts Key Concepts Existential dread nature symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How does seasonal change affect your mood? - What helps you counteract intrusive thoughts? A Different Perspective The passage may romanticize despair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Faded Leaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faded-leaves-2109643/) [Grave Overtook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grave-overtook-5749958/) [Leaves Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaves-driven-5749957/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Sad Faded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad-faded-5749959/) [Walked Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walked-sad-4922591/) ## Related quotes > [“I walked around the sad honkytonks of Curtis Street; young kids in jeans and red shirts; peanut shells, movie marquees, shooting parlours. Beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-walked-around-the-sad-honkytonks-of-curtis-street-young-kids-in/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [You, too, will be driven away from your native land and ancient domains as leaves are driven before the wintry storms. Sleep not longer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tecumseh/you-too-will-be-driven-away-from-your-native-land-and-ancient-domains/) [Tecumseh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tecumseh/) > [There sat I, a faded being, under faded leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/there-sat-i-a-faded-being-under-faded-leaves/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [The world is tired, the year is old, The faded leaves are glad to die...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/the-world-is-tired-the-year-is-old-the-faded-leaves-are-glad-to-die/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [“The widower reviewed his past in a sunless light which was intensified by the greyness of the November twilight, whilst the bells subtly impregnated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/the-widower-reviewed-his-past-in-a-sunless-light-which-was/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“He felt alone, prey to the tedium, to the dreariness of time, especially at the approach of twilight which, during those late-autumn days, came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/he-felt-alone-prey-to-the-tedium-to-the-dreariness-of-time-especially/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-found-himself-wondering-at-times-especially-in-the-autumn-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-crickets-felt-it-was-their-duty-to-warn-everybody-that-summertime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [The measured blood beats out the year's delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/the-measured-blood-beats-out-the-year-s-delay/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/) [Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/) > [“FALL I've never liked orange not even a hint of yellow though that doesn't mean I'm derange, you know. but it's still a riddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kynna-claire/fall-i-ve-never-liked-orange-not-even-a-hint-of-yellow-though-that/) [Kynna Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kynna-claire/) > [“Flowers that had bloomed brilliant from spring through autumn blackened under the killing frost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/flowers-that-had-bloomed-brilliant-from-spring-through-autumn/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [The American spring is by no means so agreeable as the American autumn; both move with faltering step, and slow; but this lingering pace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-american-spring-is-by-no-means-so-agreeable-as-the-american/) [Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/) > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) ## More by Georges Rodenbach > [“Mevr. Cadzand feared for her son who, with his responsive nature, as sensitive as a hothouse plant, was more exposed. Fortunately religion is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/mevr-cadzand-feared-for-her-son-who-with-his-responsive-nature-as/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“A great melancholy was hanging in the air, giving their love a more languid, more tender feeling. It was like the love one feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/a-great-melancholy-was-hanging-in-the-air-giving-their-love-a-more/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Oh, the sudden change of perspective brought about by travel and absence! How different everything was here: the people in the streets, the houses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/oh-the-sudden-change-of-perspective-brought-about-by-travel-and/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“All lovers desire solitude in order to possess each other more completely. They create for each other a new universe inhabited by the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/all-lovers-desire-solitude-in-order-to-possess-each-other-more/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Now Borluut was seeing it from close to. And to its very end, it seemed, from the way the line of the horizon merged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/now-borluut-was-seeing-it-from-close-to-and-to-its-very-end-it-seemed/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“He felt alone, prey to the tedium, to the dreariness of time, especially at the approach of twilight which, during those late-autumn days, came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/he-felt-alone-prey-to-the-tedium-to-the-dreariness-of-time-especially/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [Can there be anything more sad than a girl dying on the day of her first communion, in her new dress. A little bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/can-there-be-anything-more-sad-than-a-girl-dying-on-the-day-of-her/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Dead towns are the Cathedrals of Silence. They, too, have their gargoyles, singular figures, exaggerated, dubious, set in high profile. They stand out from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/dead-towns-are-the-cathedrals-of-silence-they-too-have-their/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Is it not strange how quickly one can become detached from everything? How empty life appears when one is close to death!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/is-it-not-strange-how-quickly-one-can-become-detached-from-everything/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“(We) fell out of love with life for having learnt too much of death. ("At School")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/we-fell-out-of-love-with-life-for-having-learnt-too-much-of-death-at/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“Does it not sometimes happen in life that our actions are solely for an enemy, so as to stand up to him, to confound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/does-it-not-sometimes-happen-in-life-that-our-actions-are-solely-for/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“That is the way it is, we always fall in love because of a detail, a nuance. It is a marker we set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/that-is-the-way-it-is-we-always-fall-in-love-because-of-a-detail-a/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“In Bruges he had carried out a work which was anonymous and brought no glory, but was seen as admirable once it had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/in-bruges-he-had-carried-out-a-work-which-was-anonymous-and-brought/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“—that exquisite sensual pleasure of collectors, who are a tactile species—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/that-exquisite-sensual-pleasure-of-collectors-who-are-a-tactile/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) > [“The widower reviewed his past in a sunless light which was intensified by the greyness of the November twilight, whilst the bells subtly impregnated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/the-widower-reviewed-his-past-in-a-sunless-light-which-was/) [Georges Rodenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) [Explore all 70 Georges Rodenbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/) ## More Autumn quotes > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [The American spring is by no means so agreeable as the American autumn; both move with faltering step, and slow; but this lingering pace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-american-spring-is-by-no-means-so-agreeable-as-the-american/) [Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/) > [“Flowers that had bloomed brilliant from spring through autumn blackened under the killing frost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/flowers-that-had-bloomed-brilliant-from-spring-through-autumn/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“FALL I've never liked orange not even a hint of yellow though that doesn't mean I'm derange, you know. but it's still a riddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kynna-claire/fall-i-ve-never-liked-orange-not-even-a-hint-of-yellow-though-that/) [Kynna Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kynna-claire/) > [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/) [Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/) > [The measured blood beats out the year's delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/the-measured-blood-beats-out-the-year-s-delay/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-crickets-felt-it-was-their-duty-to-warn-everybody-that-summertime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-found-himself-wondering-at-times-especially-in-the-autumn-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Easter blessings All life’s sacrifices like autumn leaves awaken our senses and power to love and be whole Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/easter-blessings-all-life-s-sacrifices-like-autumn-leaves-awaken-our/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [The lush green of the fields became a rich gold that swayed sturdily under the wind and fell at last before the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ostenso/the-lush-green-of-the-fields-became-a-rich-gold-that-swayed-sturdily/) [Martha Ostenso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ostenso/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) > [“Autumn eats its leaf out of my hand: we are friends. From the nuts we shell time and we teach it to walk: then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/autumn-eats-its-leaf-out-of-my-hand-we-are-friends-from-the-nuts-we/) [Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/) > [While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/while-cares-will-drop-off-like-autumn-leaves/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [We must learn to do economic work from all who know how, no matter who they are. We must esteem them as teachers, learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/we-must-learn-to-do-economic-work-from-all-who-know-how-no-matter-who/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) [Browse all 1,210 Autumn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As he walked, the sad faded leaves were driven pitilessly around him by the wind, and under the mingling influences of autumn and evening, a craving for the quietude of the grave … overtook him with unwanted intensity.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Georges Rodenbach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-driven-pitilessly-around-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autumn" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-driven-pitilessly-around-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa5/georges-rodenbach-9570_autumn_as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-d_735031.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa5/georges-rodenbach-9570_autumn_as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-d_735031.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa5/georges-rodenbach-9570_autumn_as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-d_735031.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As he walked, the sad faded leaves were driven pitilessly around him by the wind, and under the mingling…” — Georges Rodenbach", "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": "Georges Rodenbach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-rodenbach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As he walked, the sad faded...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-driven-pitilessly-around-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-rodenbach/as-he-walked-the-sad-faded-leaves-were-driven-pitilessly-around-him/#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 } } ] } ```