Able Quote by Marcel Proust
“We are able to find everything in our memory, which is like a dispensary or chemical laboratory in which chance steers our hand sometimes to a soothing drug and sometimes to a dangerous poison.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time, 1913
Memory acts like a laboratory where chance yields both comforting and harmful experiences.
In simple terms: Memory is a lab of chance, giving comfort or harm.
Key Takeaway
Recognize memory’s dual nature.
Themes
memory
chance
psychology
self‑knowledge
healing
Mood
nostalgic
reflective
cautious
Type
philosophical
therapeutic
When to use this quote
- therapy
- creative writing
- self‑reflection
Key Concepts
cognitive processes
emotional regulation
personal growth
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you differentiate useful from harmful memories?
- What practices help steer memory toward healing?
A Different Perspective
Memories can be unreliable and distressing.
![“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)
