--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was evident to me then that I existed…" description: "\"“It was evident to me then that I existed in the same manner as all other men, that I must grow old, that I must die like them, and that among them I w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/marcel-proust-114_books_it-was-evident-to-me-then-that-i-existed_2534900.jpg" --- # It was evident to me then that I existed in the same… ![“It was evident to me then that I existed in the same manner as all other men, that I must grow old, that I must die like them, and that among them I was to be distinguished merely as one of those who have no aptitude for writing. And so, utterly despondent, I renounced literature for ever,” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/marcel-proust-114_books_it-was-evident-to-me-then-that-i-existed_2534900.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/marcel-proust-114_books_it-was-evident-to-me-then-that-i-existed_2534900.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/071/marcel-proust-114_books_it-was-evident-to-me-then-that-i-existed_2534900.jpg) > ““It was evident to me then that I existed in the same manner as all other men, that I must grow old, that I must die like them, and that among them I was to be distinguished merely as one of those who have no aptitude for writing. And so, utterly despondent, I renounced literature for ever,”” [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 narrator realizes his mortality and feels inadequate as a writer, leading him to abandon literature. **In simple terms:** He feels he will die like everyone and lacks writing talent, so he quits. Key Takeaway Accept limitations but seek purpose beyond writing. Themes mortality self‑doubt creative struggle Mood melancholic reflective Type literary existential When to use this quote - career crisis - personal loss - creative block - ageing - identity crisis Key Concepts existentialism literary anxiety Questions to Reflect On - Do you equate self‑worth with a single skill? - How can you redefine purpose after failure? A Different Perspective A single moment of despair may not reflect lifelong potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Despondent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despondent/) [Grow Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-old/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The aim of my writing is to utterly remove the distance between author and reader so that the book becomes a sort of semipermeable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-aim-of-my-writing-is-to-utterly-remove-the-distance-between/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [In London I have been by turns poor and rich, hopeful and despondent, successful and down and out, utterly miserable and ecstatically, dizzily happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-lawrence/in-london-i-have-been-by-turns-poor-and-rich-hopeful-and-despondent/) [Gertrude Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-lawrence/) > [God puts the excess of hope in one man, in order that it may be a medicine to the man who is despondent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/god-puts-the-excess-of-hope-in-one-man-in-order-that-it-may-be-a/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [You've been complaining, you've been depressed, you've been despondent. But take off those garments of heaviness and put back on your garments of praise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/you-ve-been-complaining-you-ve-been-depressed-you-ve-been-despondent/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [Sometimes when we read the words of those who have been more than conquerors, we feel almost despondent. 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I felt utterly despondent and ready to give up. DI Fisher: But you didn’t give up, did you? CMB: No. No, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-hayes/wasn-t-white-i-felt-utterly-despondent-and-ready-to-give-up-di-fisher/) Samantha Hayes > [What I am trying to teach is that when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/what-i-am-trying-to-teach-is-that-when-we-keep-the-temple-covenants/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > [We should never become despondent because the weather is bad, nor should we turn triumphalist because the sun shines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/we-should-never-become-despondent-because-the-weather-is-bad-nor/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) ## 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. 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