---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems to me... that I have always…"
description: "\"It seems to me... that I have always lived! I possess memories that go back to the Pharoahs. I see myself very clearly at different ages of history, pr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/gustave-flaubert-354_age_it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived_1824717.jpg"
---

#  It seems to me... that I have always lived! I possess…

![“It seems to me... that I have always lived! I possess memories that go back to the Pharoahs. I see myself very clearly at different ages of history, practicing different professions... My present personality is the result of my lost &#91;past&#93; personalities.” quote by Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/gustave-flaubert-354_age_it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived_1824717.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/gustave-flaubert-354_age_it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived_1824717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/gustave-flaubert-354_age_it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived_1824717.jpg)

> “It seems to me... that I have always lived! I possess memories that go back to the Pharoahs. I see myself very clearly at different ages of history, practicing different professions... My present personality is the result of my lost \[past\] personalities.”

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker feels a deep, timeless connection to past lives, believing current identity is shaped by forgotten previous selves.

**In simple terms:** I feel linked to many past lives, shaping who I am now.

Key Takeaway

Explore how past experiences influence present self.

Themes

identity memory history self‑discovery spirituality

Mood

contemplative nostalgic

Type

philosophical introspective

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- creative writing
- psychotherapy
- historical role‑play

Key Concepts

reincarnation psychology philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you integrate past influences into present choices?
- What evidence supports your sense of past lives?

A Different Perspective

Memory may be metaphorical, not literal, limiting factual basis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Different ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-ages/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Reincarnation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reincarnation/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [It seems to me that I have always existed and that I possess memories that date back to the Pharaohs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-existed-and-that-i-possess-memories/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [“Self-perception is important because it allows you to figure out who you are. It also enables you to determine how to close the gap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-smith/self-perception-is-important-because-it-allows-you-to-figure-out-who/)

[Benjamin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-smith/)

> [“Your memories don't possess you, you possess your memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-memories-don-t-possess-you-you-possess-your-memories/)

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

> [I don't have children, but I have 17 nieces and nephews, and they more than make up for anything that I can do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-velez/i-don-t-have-children-but-i-have-17-nieces-and-nephews-and-they-more/)

[Lauren Velez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-velez/)

> [I want to say that I really appreciate that readers are willing to work with my tendency to write in several different genres and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/i-want-to-say-that-i-really-appreciate-that-readers-are-willing-to/)

[Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/)

> [That's just like America. It's made up of lots of different people. We're all different colors, different ages, we do different jobs -- but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/that-s-just-like-america-it-s-made-up-of-lots-of-different-people-we/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [No matter how physically faint, a photograph involuntarily whisper of something exquisitely carnal. The weeks, the years, whatever stretches of time separating our present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-kozloff/no-matter-how-physically-faint-a-photograph-involuntarily-whisper-of/)

Max Kozloff

> [I feel safe that theater will always serve women in different ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-feel-safe-that-theater-will-always-serve-women-in-different-ages/)

[Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/)

> [The moral duty to be expected in different ages is not a unity of standard, or of acts, but a unity of tendency ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-edward-hartpole-lecky/the-moral-duty-to-be-expected-in-different-ages-is-not-a-unity-of/)

[William Edward Hartpole Lecky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-edward-hartpole-lecky/)

> [I love women. I actually prefer girls, as a parent, because they disappoint at a different age. They go through that, "Dad's an idiot,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/i-love-women-i-actually-prefer-girls-as-a-parent-because-they/)

[Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/)

> [I'm not afraid to have my music digestible by different ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bellion/i-m-not-afraid-to-have-my-music-digestible-by-different-ages/)

[Jon Bellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bellion/)

> [With everything you're letting go, I'm sure it's going to have a different value to you. And every time you let go you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/with-everything-you-re-letting-go-i-m-sure-it-s-going-to-have-a/)

[Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/)

> [I enjoy films where two characters are coming of age, just different ages. That's why I love 'Paper Moon' so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/i-enjoy-films-where-two-characters-are-coming-of-age-just-different/)

[Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/)

> [Historical investigation and literary criticism have taken the magic out of the Bible and have made it a composite human book, written by many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/historical-investigation-and-literary-criticism-have-taken-the-magic/)

[Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/)

> [LEGO is universal. So many people enjoy it, from all different walks of life, all different ages, all different cultures. When I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/lego-is-universal-so-many-people-enjoy-it-from-all-different-walks-of/)

[Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/)

## More by Gustave Flaubert

> [As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/as-for-the-piano-the-faster-her-fingers-flew-over-it-the-more-he/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [Caught up in life, you see it badly. You suffer from it or enjoy it too much. The artist, in my opinion, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/caught-up-in-life-you-see-it-badly-you-suffer-from-it-or-enjoy-it-too/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [“When one does something, one must do it wholly and well. Those bastard existences where you sell suet all day and write poetry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-one-does-something-one-must-do-it-wholly-and-well-those-bastard/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/love-is-a-springtime-plant-that-perfumes-everything-with-its-hope/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [“But her life was as cold as an attic facing north; and boredom, like a silent spider, was weaving its web in the shadows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/but-her-life-was-as-cold-as-an-attic-facing-north-and-boredom-like-a/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [When you reduce a woman to writing, she makes you think of a thousand other women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/when-you-reduce-a-woman-to-writing-she-makes-you-think-of-a-thousand/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/travel-makes-one-modest-you-see-what-a-tiny-place-you-occupy-in-the/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [“We must not touch our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/we-must-not-touch-our-idols-the-gilt-sticks-to-our-fingers/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/a-superhuman-will-is-needed-in-order-to-write-and-i-am-only-a-man/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [The writer must wade into life as into the sea, but only up to the navel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-writer-must-wade-into-life-as-into-the-sea-but-only-up-to-the/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [COLD. Healthier than heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/cold-healthier-than-heat/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [And indeed, what is better than to sit by one's fireside in the evening with a book, while the wind beats against the window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/and-indeed-what-is-better-than-to-sit-by-one-s-fireside-in-the/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [One's existence should be in two parts: one should live like a bourgeois and think like a demigod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/one-s-existence-should-be-in-two-parts-one-should-live-like-a/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [Emma was no asleep, she was pretending to be asleep; and, while he was dozing off at her side, she lay awake, dreaming other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/emma-was-no-asleep-she-was-pretending-to-be-asleep-and-while-he-was/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

[Explore all 526 Gustave Flaubert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It seems to me... that I have always lived! I possess memories that go back to the Pharoahs. I see myself very clearly at different ages of history, practicing different professions... My present personality is the result of my lost [past] personalities.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gustave Flaubert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived-i-possess-memories-that-go/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived-i-possess-memories-that-go/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/gustave-flaubert-354_age_it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived_1824717.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/gustave-flaubert-354_age_it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived_1824717.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/gustave-flaubert-354_age_it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived_1824717.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It seems to me... that I have always lived! I possess memories that go back to the Pharoahs. I see myself…” — Gustave Flaubert",
                "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": "Gustave Flaubert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It seems to me... that I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived-i-possess-memories-that-go/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/it-seems-to-me-that-i-have-always-lived-i-possess-memories-that-go/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
