--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a day passes, it is no longer there…" description: "\"When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren't told or books weren't written, man would li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_beast_when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there_2473559.jpg" --- # When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of… ![“When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren't told or books weren't written, man would live like the beasts, only for the day.” quote by Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_beast_when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there_2473559.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_beast_when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there_2473559.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_beast_when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there_2473559.jpg) > “When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren't told or books weren't written, man would live like the beasts, only for the day.” [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time disappears once it passes; only stories preserve it, suggesting narratives give meaning to fleeting moments. **In simple terms:** Stories keep time alive. Key Takeaway Value storytelling to honor moments. Themes time memory storytelling existence Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - history - personal reflection - creative writing Key Concepts philosophy literature ephemerality Questions to Reflect On - What stories do you keep of each day? - How do narratives influence our sense of legacy? A Different Perspective Stories can be selective, shaping perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [“When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren't told or books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there-what-remains-of-it-nothing/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [I guess all my films are about resolving conflicts - and they're all love stories. If they weren't, I couldn't make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-guess-all-my-films-are-about-resolving-conflicts-and-they-re-all/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [“Yet the stories moved her. She couldn’t deny it. And they moved her in a way only \*true\* things could. It wasn’t sentiment that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/yet-the-stories-moved-her-she-couldn-t-deny-it-and-they-moved-her-in/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“This true difference in me now: I had these experiances, these tales, more of this life. So maybe it wasn't the fairy tale. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-true-difference-in-me-now-i-had-these-experiances-these-tales/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“A lot of the stories were highly suspicious, in her opinion. There was the one that ended when the two good children pushed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-lot-of-the-stories-were-highly-suspicious-in-her-opinion-there-was/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [So maybe it wasn't the fairy tale. But those stories weren't real anyway. Mine were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/so-maybe-it-wasn-t-the-fairy-tale-but-those-stories-weren-t-real/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't children's stories. They were better than that. They just were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-liked-myths-they-weren-t-adult-stories-and-they-weren-t-children-s/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“They were just stories, but stories weren’t just anything. Simon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/they-were-just-stories-but-stories-weren-t-just-anything-simon/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [ \[Robert\] Aikman would write horror stories that weren't gore, they weren't slashers, and they weren't monster stories either. He called them ghost stories. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/robert-aikman-would-write-horror-stories-that-weren-t-gore-they-weren/) [John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/) > [I happen to write a lot of stories that make Kissinger look bad. I'd rather that the stories weren't true, but they all happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-happen-to-write-a-lot-of-stories-that-make-kissinger-look-bad-i-d/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [I liked myths. They weren't adult stories and they weren't children stories. They were better than that. They just were. Adult stories never made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-liked-myths-they-weren-t-adult-stories-and-they-weren-t-children/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The books weren't exactly Linnet's general reading fare, but a desperate woman will read anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/the-books-weren-t-exactly-linnet-s-general-reading-fare-but-a/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [If it weren't for the law, I would steal books; if it weren't for my purse, I would buy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-laski/if-it-weren-t-for-the-law-i-would-steal-books-if-it-weren-t-for-my/) [Harold Laski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-laski/) > [I was lucky enough to be given books that weren't top sellers; books that were kind of under the radar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-sienkiewicz/i-was-lucky-enough-to-be-given-books-that-weren-t-top-sellers-books/) [Bill Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-sienkiewicz/) > [“In adventure books there weren't awkward pauses or embarrassing social scenes. In morality plays and farces there were rarely serious discussions of racial tension,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-braswell/in-adventure-books-there-weren-t-awkward-pauses-or-embarrassing/) [Liz Braswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-braswell/) ## More by Isaac Bashevis Singer > [Every body resisted (the slaughterer) in its own fashion, tried to escape and seemed to argue with the Creator to its last breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/every-body-resisted-the-slaughterer-in-its-own-fashion-tried-to/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing the practice. According to this logic, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/people-often-say-that-humans-have-always-eaten-animals-as-if-this-is/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/as-long-as-people-will-shed-the-blood-of-innocent-creatures-there-can/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [There must be a way for man to attain all possible pleasures, all the powers and knowledge that nature can grant him, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/there-must-be-a-way-for-man-to-attain-all-possible-pleasures-all-the/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [What nature creates has eternity in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/what-nature-creates-has-eternity-in-it/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [“The rabbi thought he saw an expression of perplexity in the golem's eyes. It seemed to the rabbi that his eyes were asking, Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/the-rabbi-thought-he-saw-an-expression-of-perplexity-in-the-golem-s/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [“If you hear I'm dead, don't come to my funeral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-hear-i-m-dead-don-t-come-to-my-funeral/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-keep-saying-things-are-going-to-be-bad-you-have-a-good-chance/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [Men want all women to lie down as whores and get up as virgins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/men-want-all-women-to-lie-down-as-whores-and-get-up-as-virgins/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise... Because this is how life is full of surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/a-story-to-me-means-a-plot-where-there-is-some-surprise-because-this/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [Night is a time of rigor, but also of mercy. There are truths which one can see only when it’s dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/night-is-a-time-of-rigor-but-also-of-mercy-there-are-truths-which-one/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [No doubt the world is entirely an imaginary world, but it is only once removed from the true world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/no-doubt-the-world-is-entirely-an-imaginary-world-but-it-is-only-once/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [It is a general rule that when the grain of truth cannot be found, men will swallow great helpings of falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/it-is-a-general-rule-that-when-the-grain-of-truth-cannot-be-found-men/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: in their behaviour towards creatures, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/as-often-as-herman-had-witnessed-the-slaughter-of-animals-and-fish-he/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [Sometimes love is stronger than a man's convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/sometimes-love-is-stronger-than-a-man-s-convictions/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) [Explore all 169 Isaac Bashevis Singer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) ## More Beast quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As a beast of toil an ox is fixed capital. If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [« He squeezed his hands into fists. I picked up a grapefruit-sized rock and handed it to him. It went flying. Home run, Beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-squeezed-his-hands-into-fists-i-picked-up-a-grapefruit-sized-rock/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [“He's a beast. A monster. And he looks like he wants to devour me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/he-s-a-beast-a-monster-and-he-looks-like-he-wants-to-devour-me/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [ Antichrist is the pope and the Turk \[Muslim\] together. A beast full of life must have a body and soul. The spirit or soul… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/antichrist-is-the-pope-and-the-turk-muslim-together-a-beast-full-of/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/) [Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/) > [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) [Browse all 1,640 Beast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren't told or books weren't written, man would live like the beasts, only for the day.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isaac Bashevis Singer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there-what-remains-of-it-nothing-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beast" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there-what-remains-of-it-nothing-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_beast_when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there_2473559.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_beast_when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there_2473559.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_beast_when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there_2473559.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren't…” — Isaac Bashevis Singer", "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": "Isaac Bashevis Singer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a day passes, it is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there-what-remains-of-it-nothing-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/when-a-day-passes-it-is-no-longer-there-what-remains-of-it-nothing-2/#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 } } ] } ```