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Beginnings Quote by Jean-Paul Sartre

“Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes, people come in and go out, that's all. There are no beginnings. Days are tacked on to days without rhyme or reason, an interminable, monotonous addition. From time to time you make a semi-total: you say: I've been travelling for three years…” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre
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““Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes, people come in and go out, that's all. There are no beginnings. Days are tacked on to days without rhyme or reason, an interminable, monotonous addition. From time to time you make a semi-total: you say: I've been travelling for three years, I've been in Bouville for three years. Neither is there any end: you never leave a woman, a friend, a city in one go. And then everything looks alike: Shanghai, Moscow, Algiers, everything is the same after two weeks. There are moments—rarely—when you make a landmark, you realize that you're going with a woman, in some messy business. The time of a flash. After that, the procession starts again, you begin to add up hours and days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. April, May, June. 1924, 1925, 1926. That's living. But everything changes when you tell about life; it's a change no one notices: the proof is that people talk about true stories. As if there could possibly be true stories; things happen one way and we tell about them in the opposite sense. You seem to start at the beginning: "It was a fine autumn evening...””

Jean-Paul Sartre

About This Quote

Source Book: Nausea by Jean‑Paul Sartre, 1938

Life is a series of repetitive, unremarkable days that only become meaningful when we narrate them, imposing order on chaos.

In simple terms: Days repeat until we give them story.

Key Takeaway

Tell your story to create meaning.

Themes

existentialism monotony storytelling time identity

Mood

reflective melancholic thoughtful

Type

philosophical literary existential

When to use this quote

  • daily routine
  • travel
  • personal reflection
  • writing
  • conversation

Key Concepts

absurdity subjectivity memory

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does storytelling shape your perception of life?
  • Can you find meaning without a narrative?
A Different Perspective

Narratives can distort reality, making us think we have control that may not exist.

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