--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If this was the true self it was…" description: "\"“If this was the true self it was marvelous and what’s more it seemed never to change but always to pick up from the last stop, to continue in the same..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-miller-179_alone-time_if-this-was-the-true-self-it-was-marvelo_2301534.jpg" --- # If this was the true self it was marvelous and what’s more… ![“If this was the true self it was marvelous and what’s more it seemed never to change but always to pick up from the last stop, to continue in the same vein, a vein I had struck when I was a child and went down in the street for the first time alone and there frozen into the dirty ice of the gutter…” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-miller-179_alone-time_if-this-was-the-true-self-it-was-marvelo_2301534.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-miller-179_alone-time_if-this-was-the-true-self-it-was-marvelo_2301534.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c31/henry-miller-179_alone-time_if-this-was-the-true-self-it-was-marvelo_2301534.jpg) > ““If this was the true self it was marvelous and what’s more it seemed never to change but always to pick up from the last stop, to continue in the same vein, a vein I had struck when I was a child and went down in the street for the first time alone and there frozen into the dirty ice of the gutter lay a dead cat, the first time I had looked at death and grasped it. From that moment I knew what it was to be isolated: every object, every living thing and every dead thing led its independent existence. My thoughts too led to an independent existence.”” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on childhood trauma shaping a persistent sense of isolation and independent thought. **In simple terms:** Early death experience creates lasting isolation and unique perspective. Key Takeaway Recognize how early events shape your worldview. Themes trauma identity isolation Mood reflective melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - personal reflection - education Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does your past influence your present thoughts? - Can you transform isolation into creativity? A Different Perspective Isolation can be both protective and limiting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone-time/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-thoughts-1587544/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Independent Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent-existence-1167713/) [Knew Isolated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-isolated-1917693/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nihilism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nihilism/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-alone/) [True self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-self/) ## Related quotes > [“He knew how isolated he could become and hardly notice it was happening. 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At this very moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/my-thought-is-me-that-s-why-i-can-t-stop-i-exist-because-i-think-and/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [ I feel more comfortable in my own skin now than I ever have...I think there's something about loving Kai \[her son\] so much, in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-connelly/i-feel-more-comfortable-in-my-own-skin-now-than-i-ever-have-i-think/) [Jennifer Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-connelly/) > [We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly...spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/we-need-quiet-time-to-examine-our-lives-openly-and-honestly-spending-2/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [I enjoy my time alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zimbalist/i-enjoy-my-time-alone/) [Stephanie Zimbalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zimbalist/) > [All those years I fell for the great palace lie that grief should be gotten over as quickly as possible and as privately. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-those-years-i-fell-for-the-great-palace-lie-that-grief-should-be/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's a very weird job to have as a musician, because you spend long periods of time alone and then you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-deradoorian/it-s-a-very-weird-job-to-have-as-a-musician-because-you-spend-long/) [Angel Deradoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-deradoorian/) > [only grieving can heal grief; the passage of time will lessen the acuteness, but time alone, without the direct experience of grief, will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/only-grieving-can-heal-grief-the-passage-of-time-will-lessen-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I was very inventive. I lived in my own world - my dad said I was a loner. Not lonely, just happy in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-titchmarsh/i-was-very-inventive-i-lived-in-my-own-world-my-dad-said-i-was-a/) [Alan Titchmarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-titchmarsh/) > [There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-no-doubt-that-solitude-is-a-challenge-and-to-maintain/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/for-ragamuffins-god-s-name-is-mercy-we-see-our-darkness-as-a-prized/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [I always feel more grounded and stable when I have balance in my life; I'm a Libra! I'm most often surrounded by people, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-always-feel-more-grounded-and-stable-when-i-have-balance-in-my-life/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Spending a lot of time alone, gave me a lot of time to think. A lot of time to think gave me the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/spending-a-lot-of-time-alone-gave-me-a-lot-of-time-to-think-a-lot-of/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Well, it's true that I've never been solitary, although I spend a lot of time alone. I've never felt lonely or been shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-grant/well-it-s-true-that-i-ve-never-been-solitary-although-i-spend-a-lot/) [Richard E. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-e-grant/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. 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The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Alone time quotes > [“Truth is, I’m generally happiest when it’s just me. It’s okay to be madly in love with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/truth-is-i-m-generally-happiest-when-it-s-just-me-it-s-okay-to-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Well, it's true that I've never been solitary, although I spend a lot of time alone. I've never felt lonely or been shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-grant/well-it-s-true-that-i-ve-never-been-solitary-although-i-spend-a-lot/) [Richard E. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-e-grant/) > [“Solitude doesn’t kill a person; it grants peace to the soul and mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/solitude-doesn-t-kill-a-person-it-grants-peace-to-the-soul-and-mind/) [Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/) > [Spending a lot of time alone, gave me a lot of time to think. A lot of time to think gave me the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/spending-a-lot-of-time-alone-gave-me-a-lot-of-time-to-think-a-lot-of/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Having a baby on my own is a dream come true, but in my world, there's no sheepish spouse on his way home from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/having-a-baby-on-my-own-is-a-dream-come-true-but-in-my-world-there-s/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [I always feel more grounded and stable when I have balance in my life; I'm a Libra! I'm most often surrounded by people, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-always-feel-more-grounded-and-stable-when-i-have-balance-in-my-life/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [I've never just been able to be alone, and I'm obsessed with being alone and hearing my thoughts. I'm trying to take this alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-ve-never-just-been-able-to-be-alone-and-i-m-obsessed-with-being/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [“There are dark and alone times when you move forward to pursue your own journey, but the beauty in the light at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dc-allen/there-are-dark-and-alone-times-when-you-move-forward-to-pursue-your/) [DC Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dc-allen/) > [For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/for-ragamuffins-god-s-name-is-mercy-we-see-our-darkness-as-a-prized/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“The world’s refusal to leave me out of its activities made me consider its destruction. Bring on the wave. Please, the asteroid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-nevill/the-world-s-refusal-to-leave-me-out-of-its-activities-made-me/) [Adam Nevill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-nevill/) > [There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-no-doubt-that-solitude-is-a-challenge-and-to-maintain/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I was very inventive. I lived in my own world - my dad said I was a loner. 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