--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At first cautiously, later indifferently…" description: "\"“At first cautiously, later indifferently, at last desperately, I wandered up the stairs and along the pavement of the inextricable palace. (Afterwards..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jorge-luis-borges-275_quote_at-first-cautiously-later-indifferently_1654859.jpg" --- # At first cautiously, later indifferently, at last… ![“At first cautiously, later indifferently, at last desperately, I wandered up the stairs and along the pavement of the inextricable palace. (Afterwards I learned that the width and height of the steps were not constant, a fact which made me understand the singular fatigue they produced). 'This…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jorge-luis-borges-275_quote_at-first-cautiously-later-indifferently_1654859.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jorge-luis-borges-275_quote_at-first-cautiously-later-indifferently_1654859.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jorge-luis-borges-275_quote_at-first-cautiously-later-indifferently_1654859.jpg) > ““At first cautiously, later indifferently, at last desperately, I wandered up the stairs and along the pavement of the inextricable palace. (Afterwards I learned that the width and height of the steps were not constant, a fact which made me understand the singular fatigue they produced). 'This palace is a fabrication of the gods,' I thought at the beginning. I explored the uninhabited interiors and corrected myself: ' The gods who built it have died.' I noted its peculiarities and said: 'The gods who built it were mad.' I said it, I know, with an incomprehensible reprobation which was almost remorse, with more intellectual horror than palpable fear... ...'This City' (I thought) 'is so horrible that its mere existence and perdurance, though in the midst of a secret desert, contaminates the past and the future and in some way even jeopardizes the stars.”” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator confronts an endless, ever‑changing labyrinth that reflects existential fatigue and the absurdity of divine creation. **In simple terms:** Life’s maze feels endless and absurd. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and question imposed meanings. Themes existentialism absurdity labyrinth divine fatigue Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - personal crisis - spiritual questioning Key Concepts philosophy literary metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What “palaces” feel endless to you? - How does recognizing absurdity affect your choices? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑intellectualize real emotional pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Past And The Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-and-the-future/) ## Related quotes > [“Among my kindred, it is said that the gods of the deep places created stone to house us, iron to serve us, and gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-moeller/among-my-kindred-it-is-said-that-the-gods-of-the-deep-places-created/) [Jonathan Moeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-moeller/) > [“But I called, as we came near, to one who stood beside the water's edge, asking him what men did in Astahahn and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-dunsany/but-i-called-as-we-came-near-to-one-who-stood-beside-the-water-s-edge/) [Lord Dunsany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-dunsany/) > [“I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men  you shall die, and fall like any prince.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-said-you-are-gods-sons-of-the-most-high-all-of-you-nevertheless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As someone has said "gods" is not really the plural of God; God has no plural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/as-someone-has-said-gods-is-not-really-the-plural-of-god-god-has-no/) [C.S. 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