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Glimpse Quote by Marcel Proust

“The hedge allowed us a glimpse, inside the park, of an alley bordered with jasmine, pansies, and verbenas, among which the stocks held open their fresh plump purses, of a pink as fragrant and as faded as old Spanish leather, while on the gravel-path a long watering-pipe, painted green, coiling…” quote by Marcel Proust
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““The hedge allowed us a glimpse, inside the park, of an alley bordered with jasmine, pansies, and verbenas, among which the stocks held open their fresh plump purses, of a pink as fragrant and as faded as old Spanish leather, while on the gravel-path a long watering-pipe, painted green, coiling across the ground, poured, where its holes were, over the flowers whose perfume those holes inhaled, a vertical and prismatic fan of infinitesimal, rainbow-coloured drops. Suddenly I stood still, unable to move, as happens when something appears that requires not only our eyes to take it in, but involves a deeper kind of perception and takes possession of the whole of our being.””

Marcel Proust

About This Quote

Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 3, 1919

A vivid sensory scene can arrest us, demanding deeper perception beyond mere sight.

In simple terms: Deep perception stops us in our tracks.

Key Takeaway

Allow moments to fully absorb sensory detail.

Themes

perception art sensory experience

Mood

introspective poetic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • art criticism
  • nature walks
  • creative writing

Key Concepts

mindfulness aesthetic immersion

Questions to Reflect On

  • When have you been stopped by a sensory moment?
  • How can you balance observation with action?
A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on sensory detail may distract from narrative flow.

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