Time Quote by Katherine Mansfield
““There! it had come ― the moment ― the geste! And although I was so ready, it caught me; it tumbled me over; I was simply overwhelmed. And the physical feeling was so curious, so particular. It was as if all of me, except my head and arms, all of me that was under the table, had simply dissolved, melted, turned into water. Just my head remained and two stick of arms pressing on to the table. But, ah! the agony of that moment! How can I describe it? I didn’t think of anything. I didn’t even cry out to myself. Just for one moment I was not. I was Agony, Agony, Agony. Then it passed, and the very second after I was thinking: "Good God! Am I capable of feeling as strongly as that? But I was absolutely unconscious! I hadn’t a phrase to meet it with! I was overcome! I was swept off my feet! I didn’t even try, in the dimmest way, to put it down!" And up I puffed and puffed, blowing off finally with: "After all I must be first-rate. No second-rate mind could have experienced such an intensity of feeling so.. purely.””
About This Quote
Source Short story: “The Garden Party” (1932)
The narrator experiences an overwhelming, almost physical, sensation of agony that dissolves their sense of self, then reflects on the intensity of feeling.
In simple terms: A powerful emotional collapse and recovery.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and process intense emotions.
Themes
emotion
identity
human experience
Mood
introspective
poetic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- trauma
- artistic creation
- personal crisis
- mental health
Key Concepts
psychology
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- What triggers such overwhelming feeling?
- How can you safely navigate intense emotions?
A Different Perspective
The description may romanticize suffering.
