--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if…" description: "\"“Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if his past had been lived by someone else. It isn't just that the place he now resides in and the people aroun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/irvine-welsh-843_different-person_increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if_2209138.png" --- # Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if his past had… ![“Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if his past had been lived by someone else. It isn't just that the place he now resides in and the people around him are poles apart, it's like he himself is an entirely different person. The overriding obsessions and foibles of the man he'd once been now…” quote by Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/irvine-welsh-843_different-person_increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if_2209138.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/irvine-welsh-843_different-person_increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if_2209138.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/irvine-welsh-843_different-person_increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if_2209138.png) > ““Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if his past had been lived by someone else. It isn't just that the place he now resides in and the people around him are poles apart, it's like he himself is an entirely different person. The overriding obsessions and foibles of the man he'd once been now feel utterly ludicrous to the current resident of his mind and body. The only bridge is rage; when angered he can taste his old self. But in California, the way he is currently living his life, few things can vex him to that extent. But that's over there.”” [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) ## 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 disconnected from his past identity, seeing his former self as absurd, and only anger briefly reconnects him to that past. **In simple terms:** He feels alienated from his own history, and anger briefly links him back. Key Takeaway Recognize when anger signals deeper identity conflict. Themes identity alienation anger self reflection Mood conflicted melancholic introspective Type literary psychological reflective When to use this quote - Therapy sessions - midlife crisis - relocation stress - creative writing - personal introspection Key Concepts psychology existential crisis memory self-discrepancy Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your past feel foreign now? - How can you integrate past and present selves without anger? A Different Perspective Rage may be a temporary bridge but does not resolve underlying disconnection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind and body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-body/) [Old self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-self/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Actually, this 'life' has become fractured entirely. One does not even have the awareness of whether he is living to 'extract the essence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/actually-this-life-has-become-fractured-entirely-one-does-not-even/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [And all times are one time, and all those dead in the past never lived before our definition gives them life, and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/and-all-times-are-one-time-and-all-those-dead-in-the-past-never-lived/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [“Neither the dissipations of the past--and she had lived very much in the world, nor the restrictions of the present; neither sickness nor sorrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/neither-the-dissipations-of-the-past-and-she-had-lived-very-much-in/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I grew up listening to my grandfather's stories of our musical past. He would often talk about the orchestras that played at concerts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy/i-grew-up-listening-to-my-grandfather-s-stories-of-our-musical-past/) [Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy/) > [First of all, you can make the argument that there's no such thing as the past. Nobody lived in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/first-of-all-you-can-make-the-argument-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [There was a house we all had in common and it was called the past, even though we'd lived in different rooms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/there-was-a-house-we-all-had-in-common-and-it-was-called-the-past/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [The past was always there, lived inside of you, and it helped to make you who you were. But it had to be placed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-taylor-bradford/the-past-was-always-there-lived-inside-of-you-and-it-helped-to-make/) [Barbara Taylor Bradford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-taylor-bradford/) > [The best stories aren't about people with a nice past. There about people who SURVIVED a bad past, lived their dream and had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/the-best-stories-aren-t-about-people-with-a-nice-past-there-about/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [You can make the argument that there's no such thing as the past. Nobody lived in the past. They lived in the present. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/you-can-make-the-argument-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as-the-past/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Life is not lived in the past, neither is it lived wandering in future. Life is for today, and it is today. Live it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-not-lived-in-the-past-neither-is-it-lived-wandering-in-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [LIVING YOUR LIFE STUCK ON THE ERRORS OR HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR PAST WILL CAUSE YOU TO MISS OUT ON THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES OF YOUR…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/living-your-life-stuck-on-the-errors-or-highlights-of-your-past-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Man may feel like a feeble and powerless pawn, at some moment in his life. This apprehension can come out of the blue, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/man-may-feel-like-a-feeble-and-powerless-pawn-at-some-moment-in-his/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Oh, he treats me with respect, he says he loves me all the time, he calls me fifteen times a day, he likes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-allen/oh-he-treats-me-with-respect-he-says-he-loves-me-all-the-time-he/) [Lily Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-allen/) > [“It’s…” She couldn’t finish. “Don’t try, Miss Redmond,” he agreed, shading his eyes. “There are honestly no suitable words, so we shall not fault…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-long/it-s-she-couldn-t-finish-don-t-try-miss-redmond-he-agreed-shading-his/) [Julie Anne Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-long/) > [I don't ever want a man to feel like he owns me. I want a man to feel like he has me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laine/i-don-t-ever-want-a-man-to-feel-like-he-owns-me-i-want-a-man-to-feel/) [Laine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laine/) ## More by Irvine Welsh > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“Without this kickstart to my day, I'd be lost. A day without a morning run is a day you fumble through, rather than one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/without-this-kickstart-to-my-day-i-d-be-lost-a-day-without-a-morning/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“There's nae reasoning wi some cats. You say 'reason', they mew 'treason'. Ken?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nae-reasoning-wi-some-cats-you-say-reason-they-mew-treason-ken/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [It's crazy for somebody who's kind of empowered and wealthy like myself to say, "Oh, I don't need to be patronized by the state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/it-s-crazy-for-somebody-who-s-kind-of-empowered-and-wealthy-like/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [When you go away, you see where you come from in a different light. I see Scotland, and the rest of Britain, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-go-away-you-see-where-you-come-from-in-a-different-light-i/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If it's something that I feel uncomfortable with, that's a reason for me to write it. I kind of like to make myself feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-it-s-something-that-i-feel-uncomfortable-with-that-s-a-reason-for/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [There's nothing worse than a violent beating from an unremarkable person. Physical violence with someone is too much like shagging them. Too much id…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-violent-beating-from-an-unremarkable/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If I stop working and publishing, and TV, and film and all that, I would be dead within a couple of weeks. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-i-stop-working-and-publishing-and-tv-and-film-and-all-that-i-would/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I can see why the Russians love Robert Burns, I think that Russians and Koreans have a very similar outlook to Scots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-can-see-why-the-russians-love-robert-burns-i-think-that-russians/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [If you continue to transfer the wealth of the population of the planet to a very small amount of people, it becomes untenable at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-you-continue-to-transfer-the-wealth-of-the-population-of-the/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Most middle-class people I know don't really live like me. Middle-class people worry a lot about money. They worry a lot about job security,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/most-middle-class-people-i-know-don-t-really-live-like-me-middle/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [As soon as you've written it, you're thinking about how it can move into different mediums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/as-soon-as-you-ve-written-it-you-re-thinking-about-how-it-can-move/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“Begbie doesnae even notice; he's in his element, particularly good at funerals in the way a lot ay psychopaths tend tae be. Ah suppose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/begbie-doesnae-even-notice-he-s-in-his-element-particularly-good-at/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [I'm more of a warrior than you'll ever be. I believe in the class war. I believe in the battle of the sexes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-m-more-of-a-warrior-than-you-ll-ever-be-i-believe-in-the-class-war/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) [Explore all 348 Irvine Welsh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) ## More Different person quotes > [I'm not always smiling when I'm on the golf course. Sometimes, hey, listen, people have regular jobs. You go to them when they're working,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooks-koepka/i-m-not-always-smiling-when-i-m-on-the-golf-course-sometimes-hey/) [Brooks Koepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooks-koepka/) > [“We as humans are the patterns of life. We are the roads we travel. Our lives make up the insignificance of a moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-duke/we-as-humans-are-the-patterns-of-life-we-are-the-roads-we-travel-our/) [Megan Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-duke/) > [My favorite superheroes when I was younger were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and they still are. Simply because they rule and you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reeves/my-favorite-superheroes-when-i-was-younger-were-the-teenage-mutant/) [Jason Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reeves/) > [I got a different persona than a lot of these other guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljamain-sterling/i-got-a-different-persona-than-a-lot-of-these-other-guys/) [Aljamain Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aljamain-sterling/) > [“It is so odd that you can stand in a space - a place in which you normally feel so happy and safe -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-driscoll/it-is-so-odd-that-you-can-stand-in-a-space-a-place-in-which-you/) [Teresa Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-driscoll/) > [“It was probably not so unusual to be a different person with a different man, for all parts were authentically within, waiting to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/it-was-probably-not-so-unusual-to-be-a-different-person-with-a/) [Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/) > [“If you wake up at a different time in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-you-wake-up-at-a-different-time-in-a-different-place-could-you/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I was depressed. I knew I was lost, but I had no idea how to find myself again. It was as though I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmina-khadra/i-was-depressed-i-knew-i-was-lost-but-i-had-no-idea-how-to-find/) [Yasmina Khadra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmina-khadra/) > [When I see myself on screen, I don't even feel like it's me - it's like it's a completely different person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/when-i-see-myself-on-screen-i-don-t-even-feel-like-it-s-me-it-s-like/) [Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/) > [I mean the cool thing about the movies is that you get to try on these different personalities and different styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burns/i-mean-the-cool-thing-about-the-movies-is-that-you-get-to-try-on/) [Edward Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burns/) > [To be a superstar you have to win and you have to have something special. For me, I hope that knocking people out is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gaethje/to-be-a-superstar-you-have-to-win-and-you-have-to-have-something/) [Justin Gaethje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gaethje/) > [I love dressing up and putting on the makeup and the hair and the clothes and just being a different person for a day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/i-love-dressing-up-and-putting-on-the-makeup-and-the-hair-and-the/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [What I like doing is being a different person. Every character is kind of different. So being able to be that person and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-breslin/what-i-like-doing-is-being-a-different-person-every-character-is-kind/) [Abigail Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-breslin/) > [All the teams you have have different personalities, and you kind of want it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calipari/all-the-teams-you-have-have-different-personalities-and-you-kind-of/) [John Calipari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calipari/) > [Ya know what, I am jealous. I am jealous of everyone who is prettier than me, because everyone is skinnier than me. because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ya-know-what-i-am-jealous-i-am-jealous-of-everyone-who-is-prettier/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 700 Different person quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if his past had been lived by someone else. It isn't just that the place he now resides in and the people around him are poles apart, it's like he himself is an entirely different person. The overriding obsessions and foibles of the man he'd once been now feel utterly ludicrous to the current resident of his mind and body. The only bridge is rage; when angered he can taste his old self. But in California, the way he is currently living his life, few things can vex him to that extent. But that's over there.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Irvine Welsh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if-his-past-had-been-lived-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if-his-past-had-been-lived-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/irvine-welsh-843_different-person_increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if_2209138.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/irvine-welsh-843_different-person_increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if_2209138.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/irvine-welsh-843_different-person_increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if_2209138.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if his past had been lived by someone else. It isn't just that the…” — Irvine Welsh", "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": "Irvine Welsh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Increasingly, life seems fractured, as if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if-his-past-had-been-lived-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/increasingly-life-seems-fractured-as-if-his-past-had-been-lived-by/#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 } } ] } ```