--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I knew that on that island one was driven…" description: "\"“I knew that on that island one was driven back into the past. There was so much space, so much silence, so few meetings that one too easily saw out of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/john-fowles-816_living-in-the-past_i-knew-that-on-that-island-one-was-drive_3143086.png" --- # I knew that on that island one was driven back into the… ![“I knew that on that island one was driven back into the past. There was so much space, so much silence, so few meetings that one too easily saw out of the present, and then the past seemed ten times closer than it was.” quote by John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/john-fowles-816_living-in-the-past_i-knew-that-on-that-island-one-was-drive_3143086.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/john-fowles-816_living-in-the-past_i-knew-that-on-that-island-one-was-drive_3143086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/john-fowles-816_living-in-the-past_i-knew-that-on-that-island-one-was-drive_3143086.png) > ““I knew that on that island one was driven back into the past. There was so much space, so much silence, so few meetings that one too easily saw out of the present, and then the past seemed ten times closer than it was.”” [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Isolation and endless quiet can blur present awareness, making past memories feel nearer than reality. **In simple terms:** Silence makes the past feel close. Key Takeaway Stay present despite quiet surroundings. Themes isolation memory time perception Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - remote work - long vacations - retreats - solitary travel - meditation retreats Key Concepts psychology temporal distortion nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep grounded when surroundings are sparse? - What habits anchor you in the present? 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And besides, there are too many times in my career to remember specific events, because I played so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-west/i-don-t-live-in-the-past-and-besides-there-are-too-many-times-in-my/) [Jerry West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-west/) > [“Do you think the memory of someone should dictate how we live going forward?' he asks, threading and unthreading his fingers together. 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It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/liking-other-people-is-an-illusion-we-have-to-cherish-in-ourselves-if/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Do you know that every great thing in the history of art and every beautiful thing in life is actually what you call nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/do-you-know-that-every-great-thing-in-the-history-of-art-and-every/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Yet this distance, all those abysses unbridged and then unbridgeable by radio, television, cheap travel and the rest, was not wholly bad. People knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/yet-this-distance-all-those-abysses-unbridged-and-then-unbridgeable/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) [Explore all 341 John Fowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) ## More Living in the past quotes > [“Do you think the memory of someone should dictate how we live going forward?' he asks, threading and unthreading his fingers together. 'It depends,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/do-you-think-the-memory-of-someone-should-dictate-how-we-live-going/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [“If you spend too much time living in the past, you never move forward”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/if-you-spend-too-much-time-living-in-the-past-you-never-move-forward/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I am the type that cannot stay put in living in the past and solely in the past. 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Living in the future isn't going to give you today. Live for today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/living-in-the-past-isn-t-going-to-give-you-a-future-living-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being in Christ, it is safe to forget the past; it is possible to be sure of the future; it is possible to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/being-in-christ-it-is-safe-to-forget-the-past-it-is-possible-to-be/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [“These facilities were relatively rustic even for this area of the world. Other inns at least had indoor plumbing and electricity. Most even had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/these-facilities-were-relatively-rustic-even-for-this-area-of-the/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [Faith, courage, optimism, looking forward, bring us new life and more life. Futility, frustration, living in the past are not only characteristic of 'old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/faith-courage-optimism-looking-forward-bring-us-new-life-and-more/) [Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/) > [I don't believe in living in the past. Living in the past is for cowards. If you live in the past, you die in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ditka/i-don-t-believe-in-living-in-the-past-living-in-the-past-is-for/) [Mike Ditka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ditka/) > [“She had an immense store of trivial memories and when she wasn't living in the future she was living in the past. 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