--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How often have I watched, and longed to…" description: "\"“How often have I watched, and longed to imitate when I should be free to live as I chose, a rower who had slipped his oars and lay flat on his back in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/marcel-proust-114_freedom_how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-i_904505.jpg" --- # How often have I watched, and longed to imitate when I… ![“How often have I watched, and longed to imitate when I should be free to live as I chose, a rower who had slipped his oars and lay flat on his back in the bottom of the boat, letting it drift with the current, seeing nothing but the sky gliding slowly by above him, his face aglow with a foretaste…” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/marcel-proust-114_freedom_how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-i_904505.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/marcel-proust-114_freedom_how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-i_904505.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/marcel-proust-114_freedom_how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-i_904505.jpg) > ““How often have I watched, and longed to imitate when I should be free to live as I chose, a rower who had slipped his oars and lay flat on his back in the bottom of the boat, letting it drift with the current, seeing nothing but the sky gliding slowly by above him, his face aglow with a foretaste of happiness and peace!”” [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects yearning for freedom and peace, likening it to drifting effortlessly in a boat, observing the sky and feeling contentment. **In simple terms:** Longing for effortless peace and freedom. Key Takeaway Embrace moments of calm and let go of control. Themes freedom peace longing contentment Mood reflective tranquil Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - vacation - meditation - creative writing - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism mindfulness nature serenity Questions to Reflect On - What would you let go of to feel more at peace? - How can you find calm without abandoning goals? A Different Perspective May cause complacency if over‑valued; balance action and stillness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chose Rower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chose-rower-1272739/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness And Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-and-peace/) [Longed Imitate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longed-imitate-1272742/) [Oars Lay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oars-lay-1272740/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Rower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rower-493013/) [Rower Slipped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rower-slipped-1272741/) [Rowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rowing/) ## Related quotes > [“It remained dark. Outside the window, the balcony was grey. Suddenly, on its sullen stone, I did not indeed see a less negative colour,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-remained-dark-outside-the-window-the-balcony-was-grey-suddenly-on/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The rower need to know technique and has to be in shape. He won't wrong by using strategy. Yet what it takes to win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-s-strauss/the-rower-need-to-know-technique-and-has-to-be-in-shape-he-won-t/) [Barry S. Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-s-strauss/) > [A rower knows the underlying presence that moves a boat; it is quite simply force and energy. The force needs to be penetrating, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-ginn/a-rower-knows-the-underlying-presence-that-moves-a-boat-it-is-quite/) [Drew Ginn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-ginn/) > [Early in my career it was very difficult for me to do rowing at home. I had a rower at home and there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/early-in-my-career-it-was-very-difficult-for-me-to-do-rowing-at-home/) [Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/) > [When eight row together with swing the boat becomes the ninth rower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-thomas/when-eight-row-together-with-swing-the-boat-becomes-the-ninth-rower/) [Phillip Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-thomas/) > [Even after rowing in all these pieces, it's often hard to determine who will be selected because the decisive factor in seat racing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ahrens/even-after-rowing-in-all-these-pieces-it-s-often-hard-to-determine/) [Chris Ahrens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ahrens/) > [I grew up in New England at the edge of the Atlantic and have for many years been an avid rower. I've rowed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/i-grew-up-in-new-england-at-the-edge-of-the-atlantic-and-have-for/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [Don't make a whole to-do about it. Don't get down on yourself be- cause you're not an expert rower; don't start reading too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-glassman/don-t-make-a-whole-to-do-about-it-don-t-get-down-on-yourself-be-cause/) [Bernie Glassman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-glassman/) > [“The tools a competitive rower uses to prepare to race are useful for the everyday rower, as well. They include double workouts (exercising two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-p-ordway/the-tools-a-competitive-rower-uses-to-prepare-to-race-are-useful-for/) [D.P. Ordway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-p-ordway/) > [One of the unique aspects of rowing is that novices strive to perfect the same motions as Olympic contenders. Few other sports can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/one-of-the-unique-aspects-of-rowing-is-that-novices-strive-to-perfect/) [Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/) > [Long live the elite rower's motto:'early to bed, early to rise, never meet the regular guys.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-alan-lewis/long-live-the-elite-rower-s-motto-early-to-bed-early-to-rise-never/) [Brad Alan Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-alan-lewis/) > [“All my life I have been a rower of two boats. I have been here physically and somewhere else mentally. My existence is split,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadia-hakim/all-my-life-i-have-been-a-rower-of-two-boats-i-have-been-here/) [Sadia Hakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadia-hakim/) > [“Rower to prostota, a prostota to szczęście.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/rower-to-prostota-a-prostota-to-szcz-cie/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [You reach a point where you realize that in order to get HAPPINESS and PEACE OF MIND is to accept the pain, leave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-reach-a-point-where-you-realize-that-in-order-to-get-happiness/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [Whenever we practise meditation, whether or not our meditation is clear, we are performing a virtuous mental action that is a cause of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/whenever-we-practise-meditation-whether-or-not-our-meditation-is/) [Geshe Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/) ## More by Marcel Proust > [“machinery' of life at Versailles; and was able, too, to persuade herself that her silence, a shade of good humour or of arrogance on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/machinery-of-life-at-versailles-and-was-able-too-to-persuade-herself/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [ “For her \[Françoise\], wealth was like a necessary condition without which virtue would lack both merit and charm. She made so little distinction between… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/for-her-fran-oise-wealth-was-like-a-necessary-condition-without-which/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Knowing does not always allow us to prevent, but at least the things that we know, we hold them, if not in our hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/knowing-does-not-always-allow-us-to-prevent-but-at-least-the-things/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Death is in truth an illness from which we recover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/death-is-in-truth-an-illness-from-which-we-recover/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The bonds that unite another person to our self exist only in our mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-bonds-that-unite-another-person-to-our-self-exist-only-in-our-mind/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [...a writer's works, like the water in an artesian well, mount to a height which is in proportion to the depth to which suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/a-writer-s-works-like-the-water-in-an-artesian-well-mount-to-a-height/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Then from those profound slumbers we awake in a dawn, not knowing who we are, being nobody, newly born, ready for anything, the brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-from-those-profound-slumbers-we-awake-in-a-dawn-not-knowing-who/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Art extracted from the most familiar reality does indeed exist and its domain is perhaps the largest of any.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/art-extracted-from-the-most-familiar-reality-does-indeed-exist-and/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I find very reasonable the Celtic belief that the souls of our dearly departed are trapped in some inferior being, in an animal, aplant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-find-very-reasonable-the-celtic-belief-that-the-souls-of-our-dearly/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“When you heard anyone in the middle of a talk which was being deliberately kept off the Affair announce furtively some piece of political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-you-heard-anyone-in-the-middle-of-a-talk-which-was-being/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“We betroth ourselves by proxy, and then feel obliged to marry the intermediary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/we-betroth-ourselves-by-proxy-and-then-feel-obliged-to-marry-the/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“But the old lady on the contrary, far from justifying her daughter’s fears, felt every time someone of her own age “disappeared” that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/but-the-old-lady-on-the-contrary-far-from-justifying-her-daughter-s/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Often it is just lack of imagination that keeps a man from suffering very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/often-it-is-just-lack-of-imagination-that-keeps-a-man-from-suffering/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“When we are nice to others, we generally lose all claim to their respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-we-are-nice-to-others-we-generally-lose-all-claim-to-their/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Nobility is often no more than the inner aspect which our egotistical feelings assume when we have not yet named and classified them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/nobility-is-often-no-more-than-the-inner-aspect-which-our-egotistical/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) [Explore all 1,113 Marcel Proust quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How often have I watched, and longed to imitate when I should be free to live as I chose, a rower who had slipped his oars and lay flat on his back in the bottom of the boat, letting it drift with the current, seeing nothing but the sky gliding slowly by above him, his face aglow with a foretaste of happiness and peace!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcel Proust" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-imitate-when-i-should-be-free/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-imitate-when-i-should-be-free/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/marcel-proust-114_freedom_how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-i_904505.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/marcel-proust-114_freedom_how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-i_904505.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/marcel-proust-114_freedom_how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-i_904505.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How often have I watched, and longed to imitate when I should be free to live as I chose, a rower who had…” — Marcel Proust", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marcel Proust", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How often have I watched, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-imitate-when-i-should-be-free/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/how-often-have-i-watched-and-longed-to-imitate-when-i-should-be-free/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```