--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Time can divorce us from the reality of…" description: "\"Time can divorce us from the reality of people, it can separate us from people and turn them into ghosts. Or rather it is we who turn them into ghosts ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/iris-murdoch-993_demon_time-can-divorce-us-from-the-reality-of_2945174.jpg" --- # Time can divorce us from the reality of people, it can… ![“Time can divorce us from the reality of people, it can separate us from people and turn them into ghosts. Or rather it is we who turn them into ghosts or demons. Some kinds of fruitless preoccupations with the past can create such simulacra, and they can exercise power, like those heroes at Troy…” quote by Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/iris-murdoch-993_demon_time-can-divorce-us-from-the-reality-of_2945174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/iris-murdoch-993_demon_time-can-divorce-us-from-the-reality-of_2945174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b4/iris-murdoch-993_demon_time-can-divorce-us-from-the-reality-of_2945174.jpg) > “Time can divorce us from the reality of people, it can separate us from people and turn them into ghosts. Or rather it is we who turn them into ghosts or demons. Some kinds of fruitless preoccupations with the past can create such simulacra, and they can exercise power, like those heroes at Troy fighting for a phantom Helen.” [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time can distance us from others, turning them into intangible memories or imagined specters, especially when we obsess over the past. **In simple terms:** Time can make people feel like ghosts. Key Takeaway Stay present, avoid dwelling on past regrets. Themes memory time relationships Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - grief counseling - relationship therapy - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does nostalgia affect your present relationships? - What practices keep you grounded in the now? A Different Perspective Time alone cannot fully erase connections; effort is needed to maintain bonds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demon/) [Divorce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divorce/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“What marriage doesn't involve uncountable accretions, a language of gestures, a sense of recognition sharp as a toothache? Unhappy, sure. 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