--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sorel's basic character flaws had all…" description: "\"“Sorel's basic character flaws had all cemented by the age of fifteen, a fact which further elicited my sympathy. To have all the building blocks of yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/haruki-murakami-21_building-blocks_sorel-s-basic-character-flaws-had-all-ce_3085216.jpg" --- # Sorel's basic character flaws had all cemented by the age… ![“Sorel's basic character flaws had all cemented by the age of fifteen, a fact which further elicited my sympathy. To have all the building blocks of your life in place by that age was, by any standard, a tragedy. It was as good as sealing yourself into a dungeon. Walled in, with nowhere to go but…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/haruki-murakami-21_building-blocks_sorel-s-basic-character-flaws-had-all-ce_3085216.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/haruki-murakami-21_building-blocks_sorel-s-basic-character-flaws-had-all-ce_3085216.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/haruki-murakami-21_building-blocks_sorel-s-basic-character-flaws-had-all-ce_3085216.jpg) > ““Sorel's basic character flaws had all cemented by the age of fifteen, a fact which further elicited my sympathy. To have all the building blocks of your life in place by that age was, by any standard, a tragedy. It was as good as sealing yourself into a dungeon. Walled in, with nowhere to go but your own doom. Walls. A world completely surrounded by walls.”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early life constraints can feel imprisoning, shaping a bleak outlook and limiting growth. **In simple terms:** Early walls trap you. Key Takeaway Break free from limiting beliefs. Themes trauma identity restriction Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - adolescent struggles - mental health - personal development Key Concepts psychological imprisonment self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What walls do you perceive? - How can you reconstruct your narrative? A Different Perspective Not all early constraints are fatal; resilience possible. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Building blocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-blocks/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-flaws/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) ## Related quotes > [“I also happened to identify with Julien Sorel. Sorel's basic character flaws had all cemented by the age of fifteen, a fact which further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-also-happened-to-identify-with-julien-sorel-sorel-s-basic-character/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There had been something willed about it though, his ignorance. Or not willed, exactly: structured. He'd grown up in walled spaces, and then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-had-been-something-willed-about-it-though-his-ignorance-or-not/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“On entering the little green-walled”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/on-entering-the-little-green-walled/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [Hell isn't merely paved with good intentions, it is walled and roofed with them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/hell-isn-t-merely-paved-with-good-intentions-it-is-walled-and-roofed/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I do not wish my house to be walled and my windows stuffed. I want all cultures to blow freely through my dwelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-wish-my-house-to-be-walled-and-my-windows-stuffed-i-want-all/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-my-house-to-be-walled-in-on-all-sides-and-my-windows-to/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Being dead is being weak and walled off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mckenna/being-dead-is-being-weak-and-walled-off/) [Richard McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mckenna/) > [Classical tragedy was the war between good and evil. We wanted evil to be defeated and good to be victorious. 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I'm not saying it will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/the-thing-is-there-is-no-certainty-in-this-life-in-one-second-your/) [Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [Seeing the way that God has been faithful to work what appears to be a tragedy for our good and His glory has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hammitt/seeing-the-way-that-god-has-been-faithful-to-work-what-appears-to-be/) [Matt Hammitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hammitt/) > [“I don't think immediate tragedy is a very good source of art. It can be, but too often it's raw and painful and un-dealt-with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-don-t-think-immediate-tragedy-is-a-very-good-source-of-art-it-can/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I don't think immediate tragedy is a very good source of art. It can be, but too often it's raw and painful and un-dealt-with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-don-t-think-immediate-tragedy-is-a-very-good-source-of-art-it-can-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When the bad bleeds, then is the tragedy good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-tourneur/when-the-bad-bleeds-then-is-the-tragedy-good/) [Cyril Tourneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-tourneur/) > [Over the years, I've interviewed the victims, the guilty, the famous, the important, and the ordinary people affected by tragedy or good fortune. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-barton/over-the-years-i-ve-interviewed-the-victims-the-guilty-the-famous-the/) [Fiona Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-barton/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. 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The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Building blocks quotes > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [The family is the building block for whatever solidarity there is in society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ruckelshaus/the-family-is-the-building-block-for-whatever-solidarity-there-is-in/) [William Ruckelshaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ruckelshaus/) > [“Equality of condition and equality of opportunity must provide the foundation of an interdependent nation with building blocks found in dignity and respect given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-banks-lewis/equality-of-condition-and-equality-of-opportunity-must-provide-the/) Julie Banks Lewis > [Put in an honest day's work. It is the building block of a spiritual life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-toshio-sudo/put-in-an-honest-day-s-work-it-is-the-building-block-of-a-spiritual/) [Philip Toshio Sudo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-toshio-sudo/) > [I am proud of my flaws and mistakes, they are the building blocks of my strengths and beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-jensen/i-am-proud-of-my-flaws-and-mistakes-they-are-the-building-blocks-of/) Allie Jensen > [I was surprised that when you get into electoral politics how scientific the analysis was in the electorate. You can identify on a state-by-state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/i-was-surprised-that-when-you-get-into-electoral-politics-how/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [Often the deep valleys of our PRESENT will be UNDERSTOOD only by LOOKING BACK on them from the mountains of our FUTURE experience. Often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/often-the-deep-valleys-of-our-present-will-be-understood-only-by/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“Leaders create influence with the clays of criticism others throw at them. They don't take offence; they take corrections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/leaders-create-influence-with-the-clays-of-criticism-others-throw-at/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [There are roles that are terrifying because they're large or you may feel that they're out of your line, but I'm never terrified once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/there-are-roles-that-are-terrifying-because-they-re-large-or-you-may/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [“Have I added to their building blocks, shoring them up with strength and their own magnificence? Have I shown them enough color? Did I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-kiros/have-i-added-to-their-building-blocks-shoring-them-up-with-strength/) Tessa Kiros > [Plot and scene are still the hardest things for me, though I think they're the building blocks of what makes a story work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/plot-and-scene-are-still-the-hardest-things-for-me-though-i-think/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Marriage is one of the most important institutions we have. It binds families and society together. It is a building block that promotes stability.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-miller/marriage-is-one-of-the-most-important-institutions-we-have-it-binds/) Maria Miller > [Is there anything in the world better than words on the page? 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