Consciousness Quote by Marcel Proust
““When I saw any external object, my consciousness that I was seeing it would remain between me and it, enclosing it in a slender, incorporeal outline which prevented me from ever coming directly in contact with the material form; for it would volatilise itself in some way before I could touch it, just as an incandescent body which is moved towards something wet never actually touches moisture, since it is always preceded, itself, by a zone of evaporation.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: In Search of Lost Time, 1913
The narrator describes a mental barrier that prevents direct contact with reality, likening it to a vapor layer.
In simple terms: He feels a separation between perception and objects.
Key Takeaway
Recognize perceptual limits.
Themes
philosophy
perception
subjectivity
Mood
reflective
introspective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- art critique
- scientific observation
- everyday perception
Key Concepts
phenomenology
cognitive distance
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this barrier affect understanding?
- Can you ever truly grasp reality?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may overcomplicate simple experiences.
![“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)
