Animals Quote by Marcel Proust
““In vain I called upon it now. In vain I compressed the whole landscape into my field of vision, draining it with an exhaustive gaze which sought to extract from it a female creature.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 1, 1913
The narrator feels futile trying to capture the whole world in a single, exhaustive view, losing nuance.
In simple terms: Trying to see everything at once blurs details.
Key Takeaway
Focus on moments, not totality.
Themes
perception
detail
limitations
focus
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- writing
- mindfulness
- visual arts
Key Concepts
Subjective experience
the limits of observation
Questions to Reflect On
- What details are lost when we try to see everything?
- How can we balance breadth and depth?
A Different Perspective
Over‑analysis can obscure meaning.
![“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)
