--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then it would begin to seem…" description: "\"“Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate spirit; the subject of my book would separa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/marcel-proust-114_books_then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligib_2393565.jpg" --- # Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the… ![“Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate spirit; the subject of my book would separate itself from me, leaving me free to choose whether I would form part of it or no; and at the same time my sight would return and I would be…” quote by Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/marcel-proust-114_books_then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligib_2393565.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/marcel-proust-114_books_then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligib_2393565.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/marcel-proust-114_books_then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligib_2393565.jpg) > ““Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate spirit; the subject of my book would separate itself from me, leaving me free to choose whether I would form part of it or no; and at the same time my sight would return and I would be astonished to find myself in a state of darkness, pleasant and restful enough for the eyes, and even more, perhaps, for my mind, to which it appeared incomprehensible, without a cause, a matter dark indeed.”” [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 describes a disorienting, almost dreamlike state where perception and identity feel detached, yet there is a paradoxical comfort in darkness that soothes both eyes and mind. **In simple terms:** A strange, comforting darkness separates mind from self. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and find comfort in the unknown. Themes identity perception comfort uncertainty paradox Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative writing - philosophical contemplation - meditative practice Key Concepts subjectivity existential reflection mental states Questions to Reflect On - How does discomfort shape self‑knowledge? - What comforts can be found in uncertainty? A Different Perspective The darkness may hinder clarity and lead to isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reincarnate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reincarnate/) ## Related quotes > [“Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate spirit”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligible-as-the-thoughts-of-a/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“I would be astonished to find myself in a state of darkness, pleasant and restful enough for the eyes, and even more, perhaps, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-would-be-astonished-to-find-myself-in-a-state-of-darkness-pleasant/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Indeed, the human mind appeared to suffer from a crippling need to fabricate in the absence of concrete proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/indeed-the-human-mind-appeared-to-suffer-from-a-crippling-need-to/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [At the end of this lifetime, you will leave this world. Your awareness field will stay together in a certain sense and then it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/at-the-end-of-this-lifetime-you-will-leave-this-world-your-awareness/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [All action is generated by desire. It is the desire to live that causes us to reincarnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/all-action-is-generated-by-desire-it-is-the-desire-to-live-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I believe we are reincarnated. You, I, we reincarnate over and over. We live many lives, and store up much experience. Some are older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/i-believe-we-are-reincarnated-you-i-we-reincarnate-over-and-over-we/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [If one marries out of necessity, he will have to reincarnate to reach the point where he wants to live only for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/if-one-marries-out-of-necessity-he-will-have-to-reincarnate-to-reach/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [What you think adout reincarnate? its true? s its true.example every wake up is equal to reincarnate.so enjoy your every birth..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijaykarthick/what-you-think-adout-reincarnate-its-true-s-its-true-example-every/) Vijaykarthick > [The state between birth and death is not sympathetic. It is a flow system. Whatever your conscious level is, that is how you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-state-between-birth-and-death-is-not-sympathetic-it-is-a-flow/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“About Reincarnation Q~ After death can one be lured backward into physical reincarnation rather then transcendence into the higher Celestial Realms of the One?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-lewis/about-reincarnation-q-after-death-can-one-be-lured-backward-into/) [Leland Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-lewis/) > [Don't depend on death to liberate you from your imperfections. You are exactly the same after death as you were before. Nothing changes; you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/don-t-depend-on-death-to-liberate-you-from-your-imperfections-you-are/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“According to the law of karma, souls reincarnate in environments befitting their spiritual attainments. Good people (even those who have veered from the spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-bhagavad-gita/according-to-the-law-of-karma-souls-reincarnate-in-environments/) [The Bhagavad Gita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-bhagavad-gita/) > [A person who is enlightened does not have to reincarnate, or they may. If they chose not to, they can go beyond the wheel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-person-who-is-enlightened-does-not-have-to-reincarnate-or-they-may/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Liberation means no rebirth. Now, does that mean you don't reincarnate? Well, you never did reincarnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/liberation-means-no-rebirth-now-does-that-mean-you-don-t-reincarnate/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you can reincarnate, what do you wanna be in your next life? I think I want to become a rock. A stone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-can-reincarnate-what-do-you-wanna-be-in-your-next-life-i-think/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate spirit; the subject of my book would separate itself from me, leaving me free to choose whether I would form part of it or no; and at the same time my sight would return and I would be astonished to find myself in a state of darkness, pleasant and restful enough for the eyes, and even more, perhaps, for my mind, to which it appeared incomprehensible, without a cause, a matter dark indeed.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcel Proust" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligible-as-the-thoughts-of-a-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligible-as-the-thoughts-of-a-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/marcel-proust-114_books_then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligib_2393565.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/marcel-proust-114_books_then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligib_2393565.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/marcel-proust-114_books_then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligib_2393565.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Then it would begin to seem unintelligible, as the thoughts of a former existence must be to a reincarnate…” — 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": "“Then it would begin to seem...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligible-as-the-thoughts-of-a-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/then-it-would-begin-to-seem-unintelligible-as-the-thoughts-of-a-2/#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 } } ] } ```