Abolish Quote by Marcel Proust
“We can sometimes find a person again, but we cannot abolish time. And so on until the unforeseen day, gloomy as a winter night, when one no longer seeks that girl, or any other, when to find her would actually scare one. For one no longer feels that one has attractions enough to please, or strength enough to love. Not, of course, that one is in the strict sense of the word impotent. And as for loving, one would love more than ever. But one feels that it is too big an undertaking for the little strength one has left.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 1, 1913
The speaker reflects on how time erodes desire and the courage to pursue love, even though love itself may grow stronger.
In simple terms: Time weakens our will to seek love, even if love remains.
Key Takeaway
Accept that desire changes with time.
Themes
love
time
desire
aging
self‑reflection
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- lost relationships
- midlife reflection
- creative inspiration
- personal growth
Key Concepts
existentialism
memory
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does aging affect your willingness to pursue love?
- Can longing persist without action?
A Different Perspective
Time may also bring new opportunities, not just loss.
![“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)
