Life Quote by Marcel Proust
““...guided the sentence that was drawing to an end towards that which was waiting to begin, now hastening, now slackening the pace of the syllables so as to bring them, despite their difference of quantity, into a uniform rhythm, and breathed into this quite ordinary prose a kind of life, continuous and full of feeling.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, 1913
The author explains how manipulating sentence rhythm can infuse ordinary prose with vivid, continuous emotional life.
In simple terms: Changing sentence flow makes writing feel alive.
Key Takeaway
Use rhythm to add feeling to writing.
Themes
writing
rhythm
prose
emotion
style
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
literary
technique
When to use this quote
- creative writing
- editing
- public speaking
- poetry composition
Key Concepts
syntax
tempo
literary technique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does pacing affect reader engagement?
- When does rhythm become gimmick?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on rhythm can distract from clarity.
![“[A]lways get to the dialogue as soon as possible. I always feel the thing to go for is speed. Nothing puts the reader off more than a big slab of prose at the start." (Interview, The Paris Review , Issue 64, Winter 1975)” quote by P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/989/p-g-wodehouse-723_communication_a-lways-get-to-the-dialogue-as-soon-as-p_13316.jpg)
![“For her [Françoise], wealth was like a necessary condition without which virtue would lack both merit and charm. She made so little distinction between the two that she came to see their qualities as interchangeable, expecting material comfort from virtue and moral edification from wealth.” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/573/marcel-proust-114_character_for-her-fran-oise-wealth-was-like-a-nece_2687.jpg)
