--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And it's a disquieting thought that not…" description: "\"And it's a disquieting thought that not even the past is done with, even that continues to change, as if in reality there is only one time, for everyth..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_brain_and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not_2474345.jpg" --- # And it's a disquieting thought that not even the past is… ![“And it's a disquieting thought that not even the past is done with, even that continues to change, as if in reality there is only one time, for everything, one time for every purpose under heaven. One single second, one single landscape, in which what happens activates and deactivates what has…” quote by Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_brain_and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not_2474345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_brain_and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not_2474345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_brain_and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not_2474345.jpg) > “And it's a disquieting thought that not even the past is done with, even that continues to change, as if in reality there is only one time, for everything, one time for every purpose under heaven. One single second, one single landscape, in which what happens activates and deactivates what has already happened in endless chain reactions, like the processes that take place in the brain, perhaps, where cells suddenly bloom and die away, all according to the way the winds of consciousness are blowing.” [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time is a single, flowing continuum where past, present, and future intertwine, influencing each other like neural activity. **In simple terms:** All moments are linked in one ongoing flow. Key Takeaway Recognize the interconnectedness of events. Themes philosophy time consciousness causality Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical discussion Key Concepts continuum interdependence neural metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing time as one affect your decisions? - Can you identify moments where past actions shape present outcomes? A Different Perspective The view may oversimplify complex temporal physics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Chain reactions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chain-reactions/) [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [“It's ridiculous. Here I sit in my little room, I, Brigge, who have got to be twenty-eight years old and about whom no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/it-s-ridiculous-here-i-sit-in-my-little-room-i-brigge-who-have-got-to/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“He felt a tremor of fear at the image, and a disquieting thought... ran through his mind almost too quickly to read and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-felt-a-tremor-of-fear-at-the-image-and-a-disquieting-thought-ran/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Life is short but you have plenty of time to live it if you don't waste a single second](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-pfisterer/life-is-short-but-you-have-plenty-of-time-to-live-it-if-you-don-t/) Debbie Pfisterer > [“I never close my eyes when I’m kissing you. I don’t want to miss a single second.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendall-grey/i-never-close-my-eyes-when-i-m-kissing-you-i-don-t-want-to-miss-a/) [Kendall Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendall-grey/) > [“And he said, “There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-he-said-there-is-the-past-and-there-is-the-future-the-present-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'll put everything I have. I don't regret a single second with you, Pidge, and I never will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/i-ll-put-everything-i-have-i-don-t-regret-a-single-second-with-you/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [“There is the past, and there is the future. The present is never more than the single second dividing one from the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/there-is-the-past-and-there-is-the-future-the-present-is-never-more/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [When thinking of Love for a single second, it can change the way time is perceived..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/when-thinking-of-love-for-a-single-second-it-can-change-the-way-time/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Do I regret how my life turned out? Of course not - not for a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/do-i-regret-how-my-life-turned-out-of-course-not-not-for-a-single/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Every single second's a lifetime memory, and I'll be holding on to each moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-single-second-s-a-lifetime-memory-and-i-ll-be-holding-on-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...all of our laments could not add a single second to her life, not one additional beat of the heart, nor a breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/all-of-our-laments-could-not-add-a-single-second-to-her-life-not-one/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [How do you go on knowing that you will never again - not ever, ever - see the person you have loved? How do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/how-do-you-go-on-knowing-that-you-will-never-again-not-ever-ever-see/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [“So much. I'll miss you every single second.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlen-aymes/so-much-i-ll-miss-you-every-single-second/) [Kahlen Aymes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlen-aymes/) > [May I die like a dog rather than hasten the ripening of a sentence by a single second!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/may-i-die-like-a-dog-rather-than-hasten-the-ripening-of-a-sentence-by/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More by Karl Ove Knausgard > [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“When I look at a beautiful painting I have tears in my eyes, but not when I look at my children. That does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-look-at-a-beautiful-painting-i-have-tears-in-my-eyes-but-not/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“I was a wannabe who was actually unable to write because I had nothing to say, who wasn’t honest enough with himself to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-was-a-wannabe-who-was-actually-unable-to-write-because-i-had/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [I think there are a lot of similarities between writing and music. Music is much more direct and much more emotional and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-similarities-between-writing-and-music/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Go somewhere you know nothing about and see what happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/go-somewhere-you-know-nothing-about-and-see-what-happens/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [A problem with my novels is that they, from the start, have been infantile and incredibly childish. There are childishness, stupidity, lack of wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/a-problem-with-my-novels-is-that-they-from-the-start-have-been/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [In modern novels I try to not let myself get away and to be here, and that's why I write about my life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-modern-novels-i-try-to-not-let-myself-get-away-and-to-be-here-and/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Writing isn't black magic. You just have to come up with an idea...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-isn-t-black-magic-you-just-have-to-come-up-with-an-idea/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“It was a fantastic feeling, but it left me restless because the most important thing in it was the longing, for what was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/it-was-a-fantastic-feeling-but-it-left-me-restless-because-the-most/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“the past is now barely present in my thoughts. I believe the main reason for that is our children, since life with them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/the-past-is-now-barely-present-in-my-thoughts-i-believe-the-main/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“I loved it, I loved the feeling, it was my favorite feeling, but it never led to anything good, and the day after or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-loved-it-i-loved-the-feeling-it-was-my-favorite-feeling-but-it/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Actually there were only two forms of existence, I reflected: one that was tied to a place and one that wasn't. Both had always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/actually-there-were-only-two-forms-of-existence-i-reflected-one-that/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“And art has come to be a spectator of itself, the way it reacts, what newspapers write about it; the artist is a performer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-art-has-come-to-be-a-spectator-of-itself-the-way-it-reacts-what/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > ['My Struggle' came from a place of questioning and feelings of inauthenticity and frustration, and almost all of that is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/my-struggle-came-from-a-place-of-questioning-and-feelings-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [In 'Min Kamp,' I wanted to see how far it was possible to take realism before it would be impossible to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-min-kamp-i-wanted-to-see-how-far-it-was-possible-to-take-realism/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) [Explore all 118 Karl Ove Knausgard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [I am the way I am. If you like me because I'm glamorous, so be it. If you like me, because I speak well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/i-am-the-way-i-am-if-you-like-me-because-i-m-glamorous-so-be-it-if/) [Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/) [Browse all 8,465 Brain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And it's a disquieting thought that not even the past is done with, even that continues to change, as if in reality there is only one time, for everything, one time for every purpose under heaven. One single second, one single landscape, in which what happens activates and deactivates what has already happened in endless chain reactions, like the processes that take place in the brain, perhaps, where cells suddenly bloom and die away, all according to the way the winds of consciousness are blowing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karl Ove Knausgard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not-even-the-past-is-done-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not-even-the-past-is-done-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_brain_and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not_2474345.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_brain_and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not_2474345.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_brain_and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not_2474345.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And it's a disquieting thought that not even the past is done with, even that continues to change, as if in…” — Karl Ove Knausgard", "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": "Karl Ove Knausgard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "And it's a disquieting thought that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not-even-the-past-is-done-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-it-s-a-disquieting-thought-that-not-even-the-past-is-done-with/#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 } } ] } ```