Human life Quote by Marcel Proust
““One morning indeed, I felt a sudden misgiving that she not only had left the house but had gone for good: I had just heard the sound of a door which seemed to me to be that of her room. On tiptoe I crept towards the room, opened the door, stood upon the threshold. In the dim light the bedclothes bulged in a semi-circle, that must be Albertine who, with her body bent, was sleeping with her feet and face to the wall. Only, overflowing the bed, the hair upon that head, abundant and dark, made me realise that it was she, that she had not opened her door, had not stirred, and I felt that this motionless and living semi-circle, in which a whole human life was contained and which was the only thing to which I attached any value, I felt that it was there, in my despotic possession.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 1, 1913
The narrator feels a profound, possessive attachment to a sleeping woman, seeing her as the embodiment of his life's value and his own sense of ownership.
In simple terms: He sees the woman as his most valuable possession.
Key Takeaway
Reflect on how attachment can become ownership.
Themes
love
possessiveness
identity
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- intimate relationships
- self‑reflection
- artistic creation
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
literature
Questions to Reflect On
- What does true love look like without ownership?
- How does possessiveness affect personal freedom?
A Different Perspective
Such possessiveness can obscure mutual respect and autonomy.
![“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)
