--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This sense of absence had been growing…" description: "\"“This sense of absence had been growing ... It was wearing into him. Last night he had woken besides his sleeping wife and had to touch his own face to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29a/ian-mcewan-494_last-night_this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-i_766090.png" --- # This sense of absence had been growing ... It was wearing… ![“This sense of absence had been growing ... It was wearing into him. Last night he had woken besides his sleeping wife and had to touch his own face to be assured he remained a physical entity...He was widely known as man without edges, without faults or virtues a man who did not fully exist.” quote by Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29a/ian-mcewan-494_last-night_this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-i_766090.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29a/ian-mcewan-494_last-night_this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-i_766090.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29a/ian-mcewan-494_last-night_this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-i_766090.png) > ““This sense of absence had been growing ... It was wearing into him. Last night he had woken besides his sleeping wife and had to touch his own face to be assured he remained a physical entity...He was widely known as man without edges, without faults or virtues a man who did not fully exist.”” [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A man feels detached from reality, questioning his own existence and identity. **In simple terms:** He feels empty and unreal. Key Takeaway Recognize and address emotional emptiness. Themes identity existence alienation Mood melancholic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - marriage crisis - mental health - self‑reflection - existential dread Key Concepts philosophical psychological literary Questions to Reflect On - What signs show you feel disconnected? - How can grounding practices restore presence? A Different Perspective His perception may be distorted by grief or mental illness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence-growing-5931608/) [Known Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-man-430273/) [Last night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-night/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Night Woken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night-woken-4747552/) [Sense Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-absence-5455896/) [Virtues Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtues-man-2115746/) ## Related quotes > [It is exceedingly difficult to maintain a sense of absence without turning that absence into some kind of presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-epstein/it-is-exceedingly-difficult-to-maintain-a-sense-of-absence-without/) [Mark Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-epstein/) > [“It is the middle of the night. I am woken up by an enormous explosion. When I look out of the window I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-hornsea/it-is-the-middle-of-the-night-i-am-woken-up-by-an-enormous-explosion/) [Abigail Hornsea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-hornsea/) > [“Taught by centuries of living, the republic of immortal men had achieved a perfection of tolerance, almost of disdain. They knew that over an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/taught-by-centuries-of-living-the-republic-of-immortal-men-had/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Sympathy for the lowest animals is one of the noblest virtues with which man is endowed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/sympathy-for-the-lowest-animals-is-one-of-the-noblest-virtues-with/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/a-return-to-first-principles-in-a-republic-is-sometimes-caused-by-the/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [It is pleasure that lurks in the practice of every one of your virtues. Man performs actions because they are good for him, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/it-is-pleasure-that-lurks-in-the-practice-of-every-one-of-your/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Two great virtues . . . give a man power with the heavens - integrity and purity of character. Let a man possess these,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilford-woodruff/two-great-virtues-give-a-man-power-with-the-heavens-integrity-and/) [Wilford Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilford-woodruff/) > [He possessed beauty without vanity, strength without insolence; courage without ferocity; and all the virtues of man without his vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/he-possessed-beauty-without-vanity-strength-without-insolence-courage/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Love, friendship, respect, admiration are the emotional response of one man to the virtues of another, the spiritual payment given in exchange for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/love-friendship-respect-admiration-are-the-emotional-response-of-one/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“They think virtues are man-made, only exist because they exist, but if no human had ever existed, The Virtues would persist for they hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-wood/they-think-virtues-are-man-made-only-exist-because-they-exist-but-if/) [Geoffrey Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-wood/) > [“The man who is to be great is the one who can be the most solitary, the most hidden, the most deviant, the man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-man-who-is-to-be-great-is-the-one-who-can-be-the-most-solitary/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I have known no man of genius who had not to pay, in some affliction or defect, either physical or spiritual, for what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beerbohm/i-have-known-no-man-of-genius-who-had-not-to-pay-in-some-affliction/) [Max Beerbohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beerbohm/) > [“Even if she’d known what to do with a man, how did one tempt another woman?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/even-if-she-d-known-what-to-do-with-a-man-how-did-one-tempt-another/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [“I wondered if perhaps I'd gone mad. I had known this man less than twenty-four hours and already I wanted to raise his children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-robinson/i-wondered-if-perhaps-i-d-gone-mad-i-had-known-this-man-less-than/) [Lucy Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-robinson/) > [This is the law of God by which He makes His way known to man and is paramount to all human control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-king/this-is-the-law-of-god-by-which-he-makes-his-way-known-to-man-and-is/) [Rufus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-king/) ## More by Ian McEwan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian McEwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## More Last night quotes > [“Our Chasers Aren’t Cheating! That was the stunned reaction of Quidditch fans across Britain last night when the so-called “Stooging Penalty” was announced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/our-chasers-aren-t-cheating-that-was-the-stunned-reaction-of/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [At least I'm not a celebrity and if I was, the whole world would have known that I broke up with my girlfriend last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/at-least-i-m-not-a-celebrity-and-if-i-was-the-whole-world-would-have/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [“After the news Kate had called him with last night, Grady found himself wishing there was more than coffee in his cup. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-ewens/after-the-news-kate-had-called-him-with-last-night-grady-found/) [Tracy Ewens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-ewens/) > [“I seem to recall ripping your panties off last night, so tell me, Soph, whatcha got on under this little red dress?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samanthe-beck/i-seem-to-recall-ripping-your-panties-off-last-night-so-tell-me-soph/) [Samanthe Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samanthe-beck/) > [“Last night, as I was sleeping, I dreamt - marvellous error! - that I had a beehive here inside my heart. And the golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-machado/last-night-as-i-was-sleeping-i-dreamt-marvellous-error-that-i-had-a/) [Antonio Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-machado/) > [“Angel clicked on a few more pictures on the screen, and Alex made small talk about the place. Then he finally walked away. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-reyes/angel-clicked-on-a-few-more-pictures-on-the-screen-and-alex-made/) [Elizabeth Reyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-reyes/) > [Last night I looked up at the stars and matched each one with a reason why Iloveyou. I was doing great until I ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayy/last-night-i-looked-up-at-the-stars-and-matched-each-one-with-a/) [Rayy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rayy/) > [You don't merely give over your creativity to making a film - you give over your life! In theatre, by contrast, you live these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/you-don-t-merely-give-over-your-creativity-to-making-a-film-you-give/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [I was so drunk last night I fell down and missed the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/i-was-so-drunk-last-night-i-fell-down-and-missed-the-floor/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [Last night I matched each star with a reason for loving you. I was doing great until I ran out of stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/last-night-i-matched-each-star-with-a-reason-for-loving-you-i-was/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [From the look of us, you'd never know we slept in the same bed last night and made out like the world was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/from-the-look-of-us-you-d-never-know-we-slept-in-the-same-bed-last/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“he didn’t look as good as Piper had last night after she’d suddenly been transformed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-didn-t-look-as-good-as-piper-had-last-night-after-she-d-suddenly/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I waited for you last night, and I fell asleep with the phone in my palm. when I woke up the next morning, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryne-brooks/i-waited-for-you-last-night-and-i-fell-asleep-with-the-phone-in-my/) [Sheryne Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryne-brooks/) [Browse all 2,037 Last night quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-night/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This sense of absence had been growing ... It was wearing into him. Last night he had woken besides his sleeping wife and had to touch his own face to be assured he remained a physical entity...He was widely known as man without edges, without faults or virtues a man who did not fully exist.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian McEwan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-it-was-wearing-into-him-last/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Last night" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-it-was-wearing-into-him-last/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29a/ian-mcewan-494_last-night_this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-i_766090.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29a/ian-mcewan-494_last-night_this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-i_766090.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29a/ian-mcewan-494_last-night_this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-i_766090.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This sense of absence had been growing ... It was wearing into him. Last night he had woken besides his…” — Ian McEwan", "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": "Ian McEwan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This sense of absence had been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-it-was-wearing-into-him-last/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/this-sense-of-absence-had-been-growing-it-was-wearing-into-him-last/#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 } } ] } ```